IN MEMORIAM, the Way back to Caesarea
by Madame de C
Summary: *Kenobi/OC* //COMPLETED// After ten years, Noor Alrahan a former Padawan who never took the trials, is unexpectedly called back by the Council to take her place among the Republican army under the orders of General Kenobi
1. Prologue

I remember… 

I remember the burning taste of mint rolling on my tongue as the tea goes down my throat.

Rich, sweet, powerful too, and this touch of bitterness… 

Once, a long time ago, when the sun was warm on my face… I close my eyes to retain the elusive sensation.

_Cold --I am so cold, what could they possibly want from me?_

_Bent-al-Raha, the words roll suddenly in my memory,_

_ the Wind's Daughter…_

_                                          A derisive snort vibrates painfully in my dry throat but I don't even recognize my own voice as the hoarse sound echoes oddly in the pitch-dark room._

_Bent-al-Raha was the name the desert dwellers had given me, for it seemed that I could never keep still. Often did my father note the pertinence of the nickname with a hint of amusement in his pale grey eyes, and perhaps, a hint of resignation too. After all, our name was Alrahan…_

_I can see, as if disembodied by the distance of time, my body as a little girl, frail and nervous, in that crude blue dress almost glowing against my darkened skin, a little blue flame floating around the camp when all around the Libyan Desert stretched away as vastly as the sky._

I remember the dust – everywhere 

                                                   The saffron colored sand shoveled away by the native workers, a crowd of faceless shadows shifting restlessly under the blazing sun, maintaining a perpetual haze around them. The women moved themselves with a studied languid grace as if slowed down by the heavy jewelry clinking around their wrists, dancing at their ankles. I watched in awe their dark skin slightly tinted blue by the indigo veils draping their improbable frames as they served the tea.

Among them, I caught a glimpse of my sister and my brother seeking and probing the dry land for the treasures of the past.

Oh, I remember the tarnished gold from the buried tombs, the ragged scrolls, thin and delicate…

She rose from her semi comatose state as a wave of nausea hit her leaving her weak and quavering on the floor. She drowsily forced her eyes open to take in her surroundings. Her head was pounding; her mouth felt thick with the taste of metal… she was still disoriented.

This made no sense…  

Just when she was about to let her head drop back down on the floor, she dimly sensed a presence drawing near the place where she was confined. Her instincts were too dulled for the time being to tell her whether it was friend or foe. She struggled to gather what was left of her strength to face whatever was slowly approaching. A cold sweat crept along her back, she was fully aware that if she was attacked she would be too vulnerable to defend herself. 

As if on cue, the door opened. She swallowed hard as a flow of light invaded the room, blinding her painfully.

As her eyes focused she was surprised to see a tiny form standing out in the doorframe. It took a few limping steps in her direction. 

Her eyes grew huge as a strange coarse voice erupted in the dark room:

"Back to where you belong, you are, Noor Alrahan."

This voice, this annoying backward phrasing, even this very presence invading her exhausted senses--it was him…

"Master Yoda," she whispered and everything went black.

                                                                                         *****


	2. I remember

In Memoriam… 

TITLE:  In Memoriam, the way back to Caesarea…

SUMMARY: Kenobi/ original character. Situated between Ep. II and III

Ok, I suck at summaries… 

Ten years after having to resign her commission as a Padawan, Noor Alrahan, a specialist of Eastern antiquity, is torn from her peaceful routine on Earth, brought back to the Temple and put back to training under the orders of Kenobi to fulfil a yet indefinite mission.

Here is her memoir…

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of this, Georges Lucas does, yadda, yadda, am just having momentarily my way with his characters, all the others are mine yadda, yadda, yadda...

NOTE: here are some clues to understand the chapter better.

 Caesarea (Maritima) is an ancient roman city situated in the North of Israel. Built around 22 AD, it used to being the capital of Judea under the reign of the Caesars. The city was also the set of a play called _Berenice__,_ written by the 17th century French playwright Jean Racine telling the tragic love between the queen of Judea, Berenice and Titus who just took his late father's place as the leader of the Roman Empire. Although he loves her, the Roman customs forbid a marriage between an emperor and a queen. After a long conflict he has to yield in front of the people's will and send Berenice back to Caesarea and the Eastern desert, a fate worse than death.

Don't worry I am not writing a new Berenice here, am quite poor at writing versified classical tragedies anywayJ 

                                                                                    *****

The wan daylight of January hardly pierced through the faded blue curtains drawn on the parlour's windows. 

Dark gauze veiled the mirrors and on the cracked marble of the chimney, the bronze antic clock irremediably indicated half past ten.

The whole house lay quiet as the dead.

Abigail McGrath let out an utterly bored sigh thinking of all the entertaining or at least useful things she could do in London instead of being stuck in the middle of nowhere between a corpse and its maid--Ada, an unattractive toothless creature that dried up on foot in the service.

Quite honestly she had never been the family type. She had a successful career as an auctioneer, a busy independent life. But here she was in the middle of a domestic drama in the family estate, waiting for the improbable visit of the no less improbable local solicitor to settle everything now that her great aunt she barely knew was lying flat dead upstairs. She passed in review the detestable weather outside, the impeccably polished floor under her feet, the heavy smell of wax and condensed time floating in the room like a presence.

God, she hated the countryside on Sundays.

Willing her self to be patient, she got up from her armchair and started to stroll in the house. As she passed the hall, she heard the heavy step of Ada making the stairs moan. Abigail winced and retreated towards the study as discreetly as she could. So far she had managed to have as little contact with her as possible and intended to keep it this way until she could finally leave this place. 

Waiting for the grunting maid to go away, the young woman surveyed her surroundings, letting her eyes wander aimlessly on the different pieces of furniture before focusing on the mahogany secretary.

'A nice piece', she thought with appreciation. 'Perfect condition. Mid Victorian era. Definitely feminine.'

She lightly brushed the polished wood warmed by dark red highlights shinning dimly in the dusky light of the room. On an impulse, she sat in front of it. The flap wasn't locked and opened with a creaking sound. It was very rude, she knew that, and disrespectful too, yes, yes … she couldn't decently give in the temptation to discover what that elegant desk concealed, now could she? 

'Oops, too late!' she thought with a crooked smile her hand already exploring the drawers. Nothing thrilling, alas. It only contained her aunt's correspondence along with some administrative papers, bills, reports on her various lands and properties etc.

 Reaching the bottom of the last drawer, her fingers grazed something metallic. A slow smile appeared on her lips as she probed for further details. This was indubitably a mechanism opening a hidden compartment. So blasted typical of that hopelessly romantic period. Inside was a flurry of old things which obviously hadn't seen daylight in a while: a yellowed lace trimmed handkerchief with a faded embroidery dating from the last century, a watch, a bunch of dried lavender, a strange tubular metallic thing, some unsavoury letters from some kin to her spouse gathered in several bundles. Putting away the metallic handle after examining it, Abigail glanced at the letters distractedly before pushing them away. If prying wasn't even awarded by some interesting discovery…

"IN MEMORIAM" 

Abigail froze her move. What was that? The script on the first page of this bundle was completely different. The stretched lines and curls of an elegant handwriting ran on a thick stack of pages sewed together. No name, no signature, just a title on the flyleaf.

"_The way back to __Caesarea__…" _read the subheading. How Racinian…

Caesarea, Caesarea… she whispered to herself, this word sounded terribly familiar. In a flash, she saw an ancient roman city lost in the Middle East, the harsh sky and the sea melting together beyond the rocky shore, the hard vertical lines of the dusty ruins that seemed to defy an inescapable sun. Yes, Caesarea Maritima, of course she knew this site…

This leaflet was probably a summary of useless archaeological ramblings written by one of the many Dr Alrahan among her kin. All were archaeology fanatics, all strangely obsessed with the same ancient city.

What an odd place to keep it though, why wasn't it put away in the library among the gloriously unread production of the family?

What an odd title too… "_In memoriam_"… a little too romantic for a scholar topic, or a little too morbid.

She laughed to herself thinking that it was the first time that she found an archaeological essay this intriguing. It would probably be the last anyway.

"Who are you, mysterious Berenice?" she muttered dryly as she briefly scanned the first page.

_"I remember…_

                       I remember the burning taste of mint…" 

Maybe it was some notes about a voyage. No, the style was too personal and the typography was neatly arranged in an unusual way and gathered in fragments, almost like in prose poetry. Not really a diary either, a monograph perhaps? It looked more like a memoir, a long…

Abigail lost the thread of her analysis as she immersed herself in the reading and so the journey across time began…


	3. Meeting again

CHAPTER 2  
  
High vaults---  
  
Noor was seized by an unexpected dizziness gazing up at the impressive ceiling and through the bay window in front of her. It took her a minute to recollect and situate herself.  
  
"The Temple," she murmured, amazed. She was lying on a bed in the sickbay. She closed her eyes, tried to put together the confused elements rushing in her mind and give a sense to the whole chain of events.  
  
She was no prisoner then. Still, the conditions of her arrival here were all the more mysterious.  
  
One moment she was in Israel on the archaeological site of Caesarea, North of the modern Tel-Aviv, taking a breath of the night after a particularly tough day of digging and next, without any conscious transition, she was back to the Jedi's headquarters on Coruscant, a place she had left almost ten years ago. her home?  
  
Something tightened in her chest.  
  
She felt another presence in the room, this one was wide, imposing yet caring and familiar. Her eyes flew open.  
  
"Master!" she cried out sitting up abruptly. The stern chiseled face beside her relaxed into a faint smile.  
  
Master Mace Windu, one of the high figures of the Jedi Council, sat quietly at his former padawan's side. Noor was suddenly too struck to voice the myriad of questions she harbored, her mind had gone blank, somewhat calmed.  
  
A slightly awkward silence settled between them as they surveyed each other. Another ghost of a smile warmed his dark eyes as he finally spoke.  
  
"You grew up."  
  
There was a world of bittersweet feelings behind this simple commonplace statement---  
  
The deep sound of his voice startled her out her reserve, hushed emotions welling up:  
  
"Why am here? How did you manage to bring me back? How? How did you dare to bring me back?!"  
  
When he simply raised an eyebrow at her outburst she gave a exasperate sigh. "Why do the Jedi always think they're wise enough to just overlook people's will? Are you so bloody superior that you're beyond asking?!"  
  
He tilted his head, a discreet glint of amusement in his gaze, he knew Noor's explosive temper.  
  
"Maybe we are indeed."  
  
He could tell that his placid answer had her very close to rip his throat open in the most unladylike manner. Toying with her was maybe not the best idea for the moment, but the normally dignified Jedi master could not help it, his padawan had always managed to bring out the most unexpected sides of his personality. Her sudden angers, her abrupt rushes of affection had always secretly made his stoic heart beat a little faster. Today he had found his lost apprentice and, although he might never admit it, a lost daughter after ten years.  
  
"You were not forced into this," he said, growing serious.  
  
"No?" Noor countered sarcastically, crossing her arms on her chest in a defiant attitude.  
  
"All your questions will find an answer in due time."  
  
"Oh please, spare me the Jedi sidetracking decorum. I mean, with all due respect sir, I know the trick, remember? I am one of yours."  
  
He smiled to this. Damn! He had her there!  
  
"Just say when." She mumbled gruffly.  
  
"In a few minutes. You are to meet the council, they will tell you everything you need to know."  
  
He put his hand on hers. She knew what he was doing, it was an instinctive gesture to restore the ageless link which mutely joined a master to his padawan. She took in the polished edges of his face that had somewhat blurred in her memory along the years, noting with tenderness how time had scratched the corner of his eyes. Noor was certain that at that minute, she had caught a glimpse of his soul.  
  
She smiled. He had missed her.  
  
***** 


	4. The Council's decision

CHAPTER 3  
  
  
  
Noor paused at the entrance of the Council circular chamber. Master Windu lead the way as he had done when she had been introduced to the Elders as a brand new padawan to be trained and to learn the ways of the Force. She was barely eight then, a lifetime ago---  
  
Although she knew that her master would stand by her side to face the Council, she could not prevent the sudden weight on her chest, the faint flutter in her stomach. She trailed her fingers along the monumental wooden door to convince herself that it was not another dream of her return to the Temple. Then, summoning her courage, she drew a quick breath and entered.  
  
A stony silence greeted the young woman as she bowed in front of the twelve venerable masters of the Force. The Council had changed since her departure; she did not recognize a few faces. All of them were staring blankly at her. She had the most unpleasant sensation that she was sized up, judged and that her mind was dissected by those piercing eyes. It was not unfriendly or hostile, but their cool appraisal of her entire self made feel totally out of place and uncomfortable.  
  
'So much for the heart warming welcome home' she thought sardonically.  
  
Yoda broke the silence first, probably guessing her uneasy thoughts. "I trust, gathered some strength and mended you have young Noor?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," she squeaked, cursing her voice for failing her when she needed to appear dignified. She was twenty-five now, an adult and not some bashful pre-teen for Pete's sake! She had faced quite a lot in her life and had doctorate. She could handle a whole class of students barely younger than her, going from the usual semi-comatose in the back, to the pervert little buggers in the front. Why was she blushing like a fool then?  
  
However, her obvious dismay managed to bring a smile on the lips of certain members of the Council -- mostly those who had lips.  
  
The little elfin master scrunched up his lined face pensively and nodded. "Good," he paused, "many questions are running in you mind, feel it I can. Haven't you detected something unusual lately in your behavior or your dreams? Some unexplained sentiments, ummm?"  
  
Well, now that he was talking about it she recalled the strange impression of restlessness that had pervaded her thoughts, even in the middle of her sleep.  
  
Casting a quick look round the room to his fellow Council members her former master intervened.  
  
"The Jedi Order is confronted with an unprecedented crisis."  
  
He proceeded to describe the overwhelming number of dissidents in the Republic Senate and the fact that the Jedi were too reduced to deal efficiently with the matter. "The order represents a certain elite, but as an elite it is limited in the number, consequently, the new Supreme Chancellor had the Senate voting credits to rise an army."  
  
Noor frowned. The creation of an army was ominous. She was surprised that the Council seemed to approve of it, or at least, was not expressing any reluctance. The Jedi have been the guardians of the peace for immemorial times, the Force was to defend, not to aggress and an army slips easily out of control--  
  
She had a very bad feeling about this---  
  
"Was the war declared yet?" she asked.  
  
The members of the Council nodded gravely.  
  
"A battle was already fought and won. The victory should keep the dissidents at bay for a while, they need to recover some strength. Still, we must be prepared, the war is imminent and the Confederacy of Independent System, as they call themselves, is moving fast," said Master Billaba.  
  
There was something Noor did not understand, what this crisis, as concerning it was, had to do with her? She cared greatly for the Order but, she had not taken the trials to become a knight and her life had changed. When her father and her brother died in an accident, her sister Maeve had claimed her back on Earth, refusing to let the young girl of almost sixteen years old become a warrior.  
  
"Noor needs a normal life," Maeve had said firmly to the Twelve, emphasizing the word normal. "She will stick to the solar system, go to school to form her mind with rational subjects and forget about that absurd fairy tale about the Force. I will not let her risk her life on some of your idealistic quests."  
  
The Council had protested and refused to let the young padawan go before her training was completed, but her sister had held her ground. It was finally Noor who had decided to leave to settle the problem and appease the tension.  
  
The Jedi could do without her, she wasn't exceptional or a particularly promising apprentice. Certainly--but she had left a part of herself on Coruscant.  
  
Yoda set his disproportioned eyes on her. Sometimes it was annoying to know that no one could hide anything from him, he sensed people's thoughts without having to probe their minds.  
  
"A large army the Republic has now, trustworthy leaders it needs."  
  
"Uh, yes, undoubtedly, my master, but I still don't get your --"  
  
Her voice trailed off as she saw a smirk appear on Yoda's face, "Sure you are?"  
  
Oh, no--  
  
Noor wondered if she had heard correctly. "Me? A commander of the Republican troops?" A heavy silence fell and Noor suddenly gave in to a fit of a very ill-timed giggle.  
  
Everybody in the room eyed her curiously.  
  
The frosty stillness around her made her sober up quickly. "I am afraid to understand, master, you are not serious--"  
  
"We need you to take your place back among the Jedi, Noor," master Ki-Adi- Mundi declared.  
  
Noor's face fell, aghast.  
  
Oh Lord, they *were* serious--  
  
" But I'm an archeologist! How can a mousy scholar be of any help on a battlefield?" she pleaded frantically.  
  
"A Jedi first you are, then a mousy scholar," Yoda corrected with a slight smile.  
  
Mace Windu took a step toward her," You will not have to manage a whole unit on your own, Noor."  
  
Oh, thanks! That was comforting!  
  
" You will assist one of the generals, a fellow Jedi. You did not finish your training, but your gift for strategy, planning, foreseeing and your skills with maps were noticed. Those qualities appoint you to a post of commandment. Before you join the Army, your formation will be completed."  
  
The entrance door opened, everyone turned to see a vaguely familiar looking Jedi stride purposefully toward the center of the room, nearby Noor. She could not make out his features distinctly with the hood of his cloak up, she moved to face the Council again, having more important matters at hand.  
  
"Master Kenobi", greeted Yoda.  
  
Kenobi ? 'Master' Kenobi ? She mused as she recalled the standoffish padawan she once knew. The masters had formed great hopes about him for he was indeed among the most brilliant elements of the Temple back then, and a little too aware of it for her taste. The fact that most of her female fellows seemed to moon over a way to silently die for him did not help much. They had never really befriended as he had never let anybody get too close anyway.  
  
Master Windu resumed pointedly: " You are free to remain here and take the place you never ceased to have among us or to leave. No matter what you choose, no one will judge you. Your will won't be overlooked."  
  
As truly grateful as she was she shook her head." Sir, I left this place so long ago, my strategy classes are far behind me, my maps only help me to dig up buried wells, cities or tombs and foreseeing is a mere Jedi trait. As master Billaba said we're running out of time and I don't even know the odds of this battle and pardon me, I still highly doubt that a specialist of the Middle East antiquity can be of any use in times of war," she enumerated in almost one nervous breath.  
  
"Are they only of any use in times of peace?" a brashly cultured voice inquired flippantly near her. The aim was perfect and the quip hit her square in the middle of her uneasiness.  
  
Fortunately some things were meant to remain perpetual in this odd world where innocent scholars were drugged and kidnapped by their own people to serve in the Galactic Army: high mountains and their everlasting snows, Saint Patrick's Day and its cortege of drunk compatriots howling obscene songs in the street, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his cockiness--- Noor bit back a sharp reply and smiled mildly, her eyes still focused in front of her.  
  
"I didn't know that your mastership included such a fine sense of untimely comments, sir," she said, her voice an artful dosing of sarcasm to be downright offending without being too obvious in front of the Council.  
  
This, however, wasn't graced with an answer for Master Yoda firmly raised a three-fingered paw to cut short the exchange of courtesies and turned towards the young woman: "Join us will you? Up to you to see where you duty lies it is."  
  
"What says your heart Noor?" asked Mace Windu.  
  
Noor tilted her head, "To stay of course--"  
  
"Then what do *you* say?"  
  
She closed her eyes for a minute, this was going a little too fast for her, what was she supposed to do? She had forced herself to bury what she had learnt at the Temple deep within her, she had renounced to become a knight. She still remembered that terrible day once back in Dublin where she had to undo her padawan braid locked up in her room.  
  
After years of quiet study in libraries, the idea of fighting had grown very abstracted, the only wars she knew of happened centuries ago. All her life had revolved around the past and now she was confronted to the present. She bit her lip, knowing that she had to take her decision quickly. Then, she did something she had not done in years. She opened herself to the Force, letting it flow through her, immense, ageless, soothing. She wondered as the peace settled in her how she had managed to live so long without embracing it everyday.  
  
A slow smile graced her features as everything cleared in her mind, "That I will follow its advice."  
  
The tension seemed to ease a little in the chamber.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that," he said approvingly. " Now we have to discuss your training. I won't be able to supervise it entirely, another master will complete your formation."  
  
"Who?" The second she asked it she got the horrible feeling that--  
  
"We suggest that Master Kenobi takes this in charge."  
  
Bingo!! Noor moaned inwardly. She could have sworn she saw Yoda stifle a sly grin.  
  
There was a pause.  
  
By Kenobi's side the silence grew from stunned, to heavy, to openly displeased. " Take her in charge? Masters, as you are well aware of Anakin is far from being ready to take the trials and I cannot take two padawans at the same time. Beside the fact that she is far too old to be trained, I would have to start from the beginning with her and we have very little time indeed."  
  
'Always a gentleman. a gentleman who is more than five years older,' Noor thought, resenting the "far too old" bit.  
  
"Obi-Wan," Master Yoda interrupted quietly. "In the past, a chance you were given too."  
  
A shadow passed on Kenobi's face and he lowered his head in shame.  
  
"Your apprentice has been, um-'detached' on Naboo for a month which is the exact time you have to finish the formation of Padawan Alrahan. We are confident that you will do well, Master Kenobi, for that's all the time we can spare," said the impressive master Tiin, fixing his reddish gaze on them from under the hood that half hid his unsettling fiendish looking face.  
  
Kenobi and Noor did not bother to counter, there was an unmistakable edge of command in the encouraging statement so both retreated in a frustrated silence.  
  
The young woman sighed, her return to the Jedi would be far rockier than she had ever dreamt of.  
  
****** 


	5. Restlessness

Restless.  
  
The relief she had found earlier in the Force had been short-lived: she couldn't find peace anywhere. Everything had happened too fast: her return, her enlistment in the army, the already open hostility between her new master and her, not to mention the over cheering perspective to have to take and complete the harsh formation towards knighthood within a month!  
  
Her eyes widened when she realized the enormity of it. It usually took around 17 years even for the ever praised Kenobi who was obviously *the* newest Jedi super dude Master.  
  
Noor groaned. She had subscribed to achieve more insane utopian feats than reasonable for a single day.  
  
The ever present humming of the Force vibrated with tension in the air all around the Temple. The familiar gigantic towers looked suddenly so aloof and heavy that it crushed her to the ground.  
  
Walking alone in a secluded gallery, she saw from the corner of her eyes her image caught in the reflection of an open window. She stopped and turned around to face the young woman wrapped in the oversized Jedi outfit gazing back at her.  
  
She slowly raised her hand to her cheekbone in time with her twin to realize how much she had neglected herself lately, how the frame of her face appeared raw under her sun burnt skin. Her throat tightened as she stared at this blurry image that bore her resemblance without falling exactly into place.  
  
She recognized the dark warm red lights that played in her thick wavy hair now harmlessly bunched up in a messy bun. But what was left of Lord Alrahan's younger daughter that people use to say pretty? Where was the Jedi in that pale sand caked imitation of a woman?  
  
Since her departure from the Order, it looked like she had let life flatten the angles of her personality until she took the faded color of the very dust she dug. She had become Dr Alrahan the unassuming, the quiet, never allowing herself anything else than reasonable expectations from her dull boring life.  
  
But her eyes---  
  
Her eyes held a completely different language. Surprised, she rediscovered their long shape stretching far towards her temples, their unusual misty shade of gray veined with gold, circled by the same darker shade of black than the long eyelashes that fringed her eyelids. They seemed to betray so much of was hidden inside.  
  
Yet a sarcastic voice kept sniggering bitterly in her head. 'What are you exactly looking at? What a pitiful attempt my poor girl, did you really expect to look at you and suddenly discover in a blissful moment of epiphany that everything will be all right after all? What a truly exceptional person you are under that dried up envelop?'  
  
The wind whirled gently inside pushing lightly the high windowpane until her face disappeared.  
  
Everything went quiet and still--  
  
At first it was indistinct, unfamiliar images and feelings infiltrated into her mind ever so slowly. She couldn't tell what they were showing or where they came from, she could not make sense of the forms waving around either. All of the sudden they started to flow mercilessly, the acuity of the sensation made her gasp: under her gaze unfolded scenes of death and utter destruction, she heard the screams, she shared the searing pain of the people dying in front of her. The throbbing in her head was unbearable-- the laments, the weeping, the shouts---her palms flew to her temples to alleviate the pressure there--their cries for mercy, the sickening smell of blood, the pain, the pain! It felt as if her skull was going to crack. She saw them: the faces contorted with shock and ultimate suffering. Her blood was still pounding in her ears at a maddening pace. Make it stop! Please, make it stop!  
  
The vision ceased as quickly as it came, Noor found herself on her knees trembling and chilled to the bone in front of the window. Voices burst at the other end of the gallery and she saw a couple of knights rushing in her direction, looking concerned. Had she screamed? She scrambled on her feet still in prey to a faceless threat, she couldn't face them know, she didn't want to explain, it was too soon. She slowly turned her back to the puzzled Jedi and broke into a run in the opposite direction, ignoring them when they called after her.  
  
Her heart was pounding in her ears, she had no idea where her steps were leading her, blinded as she was by the urge to escape the images still burning in her mind. Turning left, she finally stopped in front of a door, breathing heavily and realized that she had unconsciously ran towards the Northern wing where most of the masters had their quarters. The door she was facing was Master Jinn's.  
  
She recalled his gentle gaze and manners, the almost perpetual expression of quiet goodness of his leonine features or his highly unorthodox ways to deal with everything around him which often set the Council in an uproar. Unlike with his former padawan, an immediate understanding had grown between the older Jedi and her although they rarely met. He would know what to do, to say or maybe just how to remain silent and appease the muted fear creeping in her.  
  
Noor mechanically reached to knock but before her knuckles made contact with the metallic door it opened.  
  
Kenobi stood there his arms folded on his chest. His gaze swept over her whole form for the briefest moment before he raised an inquisitive eyebrow.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she mumbled, echoing his own tacit question. She irritably wiped her tear-stained cheeks with the oversized sleeve of her padawan uniform surprised and slightly annoyed to bump into him when he was the last person she wished to see. The young master remained silent, merely shooting a second eyebrow up, his whole demeanor saying that:  
  
a) his business was his own and b) she was not going anywhere until he got an explanation.  
  
She raised her hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, I don't mean to pry. I want to see Master Jinn. Um. Please," she added, playing down the curtness of her words.  
  
Her statement triggered a reaction that all but baffled Noor, for the first time since her arrival, the stony impassivity of his features tensed with something looking like a mix of surprise, disbelief and--- grief? Before she could open her mouth, he recomposed his face and answered in a flat, terse tone.  
  
"No. You can't."  
  
Lovely. She half expected to see the door shut in her face without further comment just to emphasize the rebuff. Instead, Kenobi took a step back aside, motioning her in. Too intrigued to pay much attention to his puzzling behavior, Noor followed him in the apartment's hallway.  
  
There was something wrong there, she couldn't quite lay a finger on it but something had undeniably changed. Frowning, she gradually became aware that the hall looked strangely roomy. She walked past Kenobi who had stopped at the entrance of the living room and cast him a look from above her shoulder before coming in on her own.  
  
Empty.  
  
She surveyed the room's bare walls with an unsettling feeling of dread. She strode towards the bedroom to finally stand in the middle of an equally deserted place.  
  
'He must have been dispatched somewhere on a mission,' she rationalized. Since the Republic's initial battle against the rebellion two months ago, the majority of the Temple's strength had been sent all around the Galaxy to plan and help the army action according to each one's skills. She was a bit disappointed to have to postpone her visit but she shrugged it off and went to exit.  
  
Then she saw it.  
  
She drew one finger along one of the wooden shelves. Dust. Immediately, her archeologist's professional reflexes kicked in. Examining her surroundings with more attention, she discovered that a thick gray layer coated the few remaining pieces of furniture and the floor. This flat had been left years ago--- She understood now her first impression of inadequacy in the hallway: this place was empty in all the meanings of the word.  
  
No living energy dwelt in the area anymore.  
  
"When?" she whispered.  
  
"Little after your return on Earth."  
  
Kenobi was leaning against the doorframe with eyes that remembered.  
  
Noor brusquely turned around and went to plant herself just under his gaze. "Show me."  
  
The glow in his large sad eyes wavered a little. Ever so slowly he raised his hand to her temple. She instinctively pulled back when images flashed in her mind but her new master's hand on her arm calmed her down. She watched the blockade on Naboo, the boy, the race, the battle to free the planet, the duel with the creature and Qui-Gon Jinn's fall--the image blurred at that point as a pang of guilt and pain affected the quality of the vision.  
  
The focus changed, she saw now through his eyes. She was seized by an intense fury as the fight resumed, each blow he gave increased that almost desperate need to shed blood. Seeing Qui-Gon's limp body slip noiselessly to the ground had unleashed an unsuspected violence and the power of his moves was almost intoxicating. She heard his sour cry as he launched into the last attack that cut through the dark lord and pushed him in the void.  
  
She saw the surprised look painted on the Sith's face echoing Qui-Gon's just before he died but that was not enough, an unadulterated rage burnt deep in him. How heavy had felt the dying body of his master in his arms--  
  
She gasped and opened her eyes that she had unconsciously closed. The hatred was gone now but the wound in his soul was still gaping and she felt her heart slowly sink for him. He had been so close to fall into shadows--  
  
He quickly withdrew his hands, obviously she had seen more than what he intended. The connection was broken along with the eye contact as he stepped away. Her hand flew almost to its own volition to grasp loosely his sleeve, she wouldn't let him fend her off as he had done in the past, she wanted to know. He stilled under her touch.  
  
"A Sith?" she breathed. He nodded simply his eyes still not meeting hers. 'Oh no my lad, you're not slipping away this time.' She told herself. He cast her a smug sidelong glance almost as if he had heard and dared her act on her thought.  
  
"Can we talk?" she heard herself utter hesitantly, finally asking for a cease-fire between them.  
  
Kenobi didn't expect that, he tilted his head slightly and walked right through the door without a word. "I guess that means no," she said aloud in the empty room.  
  
His head reappeared through the doorway a few seconds later.  
  
"Well, are you coming?"  
  
Knowing his ways by now, she didn't waste time to ask him where he was going and followed him calmly as she browsed through her memory all the kind of tortures ancient and new she had stored there to pick one colorful enough and make him pay the way he treated her.  
  
Noor left the flat with a small smile tugging at her lips.  
  
  
  
  
  
***** 


	6. Long forgotten paths

Hey! thanks a lot to my fist reviewer, I do share her taste for the general and Ewan McGregor *devious smile* and thanks again for encouraging me! Do not ever hesitate to contact me to tell if you hate or like or think of any kind of suggestion about this story which will be a long one. The plot is already complete in my head but comments are very welcome Enjoy!  
  
  
  
*****  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 5  
  
  
  
Noor intuitively knew where he was taking them: this was the way to the gardens. She had to admit that sometimes he wasn't completely clueless. She noticed that he had slowed his usual long-legged stride to walk in step with her.  
  
The young woman sent him a suspicious glare, this kind of delicate gesture was very singular coming from Kenobi as far as she was concerned. However he remained silent, his eyes cast down on the floor lost in thoughts. Noor felt herself bristle, she hated the way he was toying with her, even if half of the time it was unconscious---She lost track of her annoyance when they exited the building and reached the outdoors. At last she breathed.  
  
At least that part of the Temple was untouched; the humming of the Force carried on soothingly here, undisturbed. The night was slowly descending on the disproportionate arrow shaped skyscrapers of Coruscant drowning the feverish agitation of the day in its inky peace. The thick foliage of the tall trees, rustling mutely in the twilight wind, bowed slightly to shelter the place from the din of the City. A warm breeze came to brush her brow, yes, she was home---for now---  
  
They ambled aimlessly along the narrow winding paths in a companionable silence until they reached a section where the lane forked in three different directions. Noor raised her head and immediately recognized her surroundings. With a grin on her lips, she hopped out of the alley without a sound and ventured further among the flowers beds.  
  
During this time, Kenobi had carried on his meditative stroll, oblivious to his padawan's disappearance until he caught a muffled rustle in the bushes on his right. Frowning a little, he called her but nothing responded. He rolled his eyes and he headed out of the path, wincing as his cloak caught the delicate flowers Master Yoda grew with so much dedication. Noor Alrahan would have a hard time once he would grab hold of her.  
  
The garden was dark now and the lush vegetation reduced even more his visual field. He started to think of an exemplary punishment for making him play hide and seek like that when they were wandering outside on *her* request, not to mention that this idiot could have trip and fall or God know what.  
  
"Women," he muttered. In the distance, beyond the entanglement of the undergrowth, he made out a faint flicker in the night, like a flame. Narrowing his eyes, he strode in that direction, soon catching a flutter of the Force. He suddenly snapped his head to the left where a heavy curtain of greenery fell, his light saber ready in his hand. The leaves moved and parted to reveal Alrahan's impish face. Before the Jedi had a chance to tell her a piece of his mind, she raised her eyebrows and said:  
  
"Well, are you coming?" With that she vanished again behind the hedge.  
  
Noor passed on the other side and waited for her master's good will. 'This should tie up the score,' she thought with a quiet snigger.  
  
::Wait until we return to the Temple *Padawan*:: responded a deep voice in her head.  
  
Kenobi appeared in turn, his face closed. " Let's call a truce, shall we? I know you are forced into this by the Council and that you don't exactly relish at the prospect to get stuck with me." She promptly applied a finger on his mouth as he began to speak, silencing him immediately. "Before we start this whole Padawan-Master thing, I'd like to show you something."  
  
" Please trust me," she said hastily when he began to make a movement of stern refusal. Still frowning, he finally surrendered and let her guide him around another hedge.  
  
Past the vegetal wall spread a fairly large terraced garden he had never seen in the long years he spent at the Temple. The various flora, unknown to the planet, was leveled on the flank of a bank divided in its middle by a stairway. The steps were paved with old-looking brown baked clay tiles and canopied with wisteria which violet flowers were pressed in scented clusters. Bordering the terraces and the stairs, torches cast a tawny shade of gold on the glossy leaves of the rose bushes, varnishing the bark of rare fragrant species of trees he could not name with a dancing sheen. On the sides laid an artful disarray of plants and blossoms arranged in a foamy combination of rich shapes and colors. The effect was breathtaking to the tiniest detail.  
  
From the corner of her eyes, Noor observed Kenobi caught in earnest surprise. The frown faded as his whole face showed a delighted wonder. She allowed a furtive smile cross her features. Seeing Kenobi loosening up for the very first time in front of her was completely worth unveiling one of her most well kept secrets. He took a couple of steps down the stairs and turned towards her.  
  
"What is all this?"  
  
"My own suspended gardens master," she said with proud grin.  
  
"Oh I see, your *own* fragment of Babylonia? Well, it's--" he gave a circular glimpse about him, "-- quite a chaos indeed," he finished wryly.  
  
" Hey! It faired pretty well, I haven't been here for ten years. Master Yoda did his best to keep it in shape, it's just a bit wilder than the original model. Besides--" she climbed down the staircase until she stood two steps above him, leaning down close to make her point, " I do know that you're bloody impressed, Obi-Wan."  
  
He only answered with a crooked smile which lit up his eyes with a warm twinkle, rendering her momentarily speechless and somewhat nervous.  
  
She straightened up quickly and moved past him, " Follow me, there's more to see."  
  
At the foot of the stairs she had to bodily push away the overgrown rhododendrons and rosebays blocking the way but her wide sleeves and her hair got tangled in the branches, she gave an aggravated groan when she realized that she couldn't move anymore and heard a low chuckle behind her.  
  
" I'm glad to see you are having fun Kenobi," she began evenly but as he did not move she lost patience. " Will you just shut up and help me, damnit!!"  
  
Two larger hands came to immobilize hers, " Keep still."  
  
She identified the unmistakable hiss of a light saber, "Umm, Kenobi, are you sure that sacrificing me is ness-" she felt a heat swiftly graze her body through the material of her clothes and then she was free.  
  
Smoothing down her rumpled attire in a useless gesture to regain her dignity, she lifted her gaze to meet Kenobi's who tried to suppress a smirk and look casual. " Don't. Say. Anything. Just cut through the mess."  
  
As he deftly attacked the growth with a smug look on his face she paused to observe him discreetly.  
  
He had changed in ten years, a calm power emanated from him. His external looks and demeanor were much more mature, more poised just like his former master. She noted with amusement that he had grown a short beard and that his hair reached his shoulders as though he wanted to increase the resemblance between them. However, he did not possess Qui-Gon Jinn's easy ways or share his taste of highly idealistic quests. More practical, Obi- Wan Kenobi was a Jedi by the book although he often showed dry wits and sense of humor.  
  
There was an edge in him though for a keen observer who could see beyond the impeccable and appealing presentation of this man. It was as though he always kept a check on himself. Maybe it had to do with the images and emotions he had poured into her earlier through the link.  
  
Her eyes traveled over his lean well-muscled frame that could only be guessed under the ample Jedi uniform. He was not a handsome man in the classical term of the word, no matter what was gushed about him with silly enamored giggles in the women locker room. His features were a bit rough, he could definitely use a haircut not to mention a good shaving and there was undoubtedly something raw about him under his smooth wide brow and the refined inflections of his voice. And yet he had an infinite charm that won anybody eventually. Just with one of his rare smiles or a look of his changing eyes--  
  
"You flatter me."  
  
He had opened a way in the vegetation and was now gazing her with an unreserved self-satisfied expression etched all over his face.  
  
That conceited bastard.  
  
Biting back her embarrassment, she raised her chin: "You are far too arrogant for one man, Kenobi."  
  
"Admit your sorry defeat Alrahan, you *were* staring."  
  
" And you *were* prying."  
  
"I didn't need to, your whole face gives your unadulterated admiration away," he shot back.  
  
She rolled her eyes and took the passage slashed through the brushwood with a shrug, Kenobi in tow.  
  
"Stay here," she ordered as they emerged to stand in a pitch-dark area. This secluded section was cleared of the overwhelming vegetation and looked as a small square. The ground seemed to be covered with the same tiles as the stairs'.  
  
She disappeared behind a solid form he could not quite discern in the obscurity. After several minutes, he heard her muffled curse followed by a hushed rumbling coming from under the floor. All of a sudden, the massive shadow lit up revealing a beautiful fountain covered with moss. Noor reappeared with her face and uniform smeared with dirt as the water started to flow with a gurgle.  
  
" Et voila!" she said beaming.  
  
They both sat on the stone border and listened to the quiet song of the water for a lull moment.  
  
"I remember that when we left Ireland to live in the Middle East, I use to smile at the natives people's crazy obsession to have fountains all around them. They would build them everywhere even in the most dry and remote places where nobody stay for long just to hear the sound of running water. It seemed rather odd to the little girl coming from an ever crude green country that I was."  
  
"The sound that reminds them that they won't die of thirst yet," he answered.  
  
"Exactly." She considered him for a while caught a bit off guard by his insightful remark.  
  
"Noor," he said, trying the word on his lips. "Where does it come from?"  
  
"Libya. It was an eastern whim of my father. Noor means daylight in Arabic, he used to saying that it was a patch of the desert's sky he had brought back home," she added almost shyly, unused as she was to have this kind of conversation with him.  
  
"You were born there I take."  
  
She nodded. "And raised in Dublin."  
  
" You bear an empress name.I like the sound of it, it's round and soft."  
  
She stared at him wide-eyed, as far as she remembered Obi-Wan Kenobi had never shared explicitly this kind of considerations given the fact that he hardly expressed his thoughts outside the business of the Jedi. Not to mention the compliment.  
  
" Neither of those adjectives fits me though."  
  
Everything about her was contorted, following the irregular pattern of an impassioned temper. She was far from the Jedi ideal of unflappable composure and balance.  
  
She saw a faint smile appear on his face.  
  
" What does your name tell me of you then?"  
  
Noor felt a sudden hollow in the center of her chest she did not identify. She liked to have his undivided attention and the person she was discovering but his openly steady gaze never leaving hers was unnerving. Somehow, she was more in her element when they were at odds, she sensed that he had the upper hand in this new turn of the discussion and she wasn't sure she knew how to deal with that.  
  
"Well, first of all, a solid work on your mental shields would be helpful I'm sure," he said with an unconvincing innocent look on his face.  
  
She opened her mouth but she couldn't find any smart retort. Fortunately, he let her off the hook.  
  
" Listen I know that your return was all the more brutal and how difficult-- "  
  
She stiffened a bit and cut him short before he could serve her the sympathizing master purple patch.  
  
"My name tells you that I never stay long in the same place, that my whole life is built on change and that my return to the Order is no exception."  
  
The words had flown from her mouth almost without premeditation but she now realized how true they were and how unsettling it was.  
  
"The light always disappears at the end of the day," she finished with a slight shrug.  
  
"Only to come back the day after," he replied quietly.  
  
She had no answer to that. Not yet.  
  
  
  
"Will you trust me?" Kenobi suddenly said breaking the silent that had fallen between them.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We are both "stuck" together as you put it. I want to know if you accept me as your master."  
  
Noor raised an amused eyebrow. " Kenobi, that's the weirdest proposal I've ever heard."  
  
His expression grew mildly sardonic, " Should I understand that you have had many of them?"  
  
She gave him a wry pointed look. "Aren't you supposed to be the one choosing me, master?"  
  
"Perhaps. I am not conservative."  
  
She openly scoffed at that : " Kenobi, you're the living epitome of Jedi conservatism."  
  
"So will you have me Alrahan?"  
  
" In the garden?!" she said gaping mockingly.  
  
He crossed his arms and leant forward his face suddenly serious, expecting, "Noor?"  
  
She paused for a short moment. Then her hand went to her hair, pulled a long lock off her ruined bun above her right temple and presented it to him with a solemn smile. Kenobi rose noiselessly and went to kneel down in front of her. Taking the small strand from her, he divided it in three equal parts and braided it. She observed his strong hands roughened by the saber practice carefully weaving her hair. He moved to tuck almost tenderly the long plait behind her ear and smoothed it down her shoulder, looking intently in her eyes. A ghost of a smile softened his features as a silent understanding passed between them.  
  
Then he reached for something in his belt inside his oversized cloak that seemed to swallow his frame. The Jedi style was definitely more practical than aesthetic. He handed her a metallic cylinder. A light saber. Her light saber. Each of them were unique from the hilt to the color of the blade, she didn't have to look at it twice when she grasped it in awe.  
  
" You kept it all those years?" she asked as she got up from her sitting place. He nodded and watched her ignite it. Instantly a blinding white blade erupted from the handle with a quiet humming. A rush of energy filled the place. She didn't see Kenobi give a smile and slowly retreat in the shadow of the garden. When Noor detached her eyes from her saber to address him, he was gone.  
  
  
  
***** 


	7. Training

CHAPTER 6  
  
It was still dark outside. Soon it would be dawn but for the time being not a murmur rose from the deserted alleys to trouble the restful peace of the Temple.  
  
A tug woke Noor with a start. She bolted upright scanning the room with her sleep fogged senses. It took her a few seconds to understand that the pulling came from inside of her and that somebody was reaching for her through the Force.  
  
:: Get dressed, your first session will begin in five minutes, hurry up ::  
  
She looked at her watch, she had only been asleep for 3 hours for pity's sake!! She groaned throwing the offending object across the room.  
  
She ungracefully stumbled out of her bed flinching as the chill of the morning hit her skin. She steeled herself thinking that in a few hours it would be hotter than hell in the practice room and went blindly to her closet to get dressed, neatly avoiding her probably horrific reflection in the mirror.  
  
Kenobi was already waiting for her wide awake and in full Jedi mode which seemed awfully ominous to Noor at this ungodly hour of the morning.  
  
He examined her critically as she made her entrance. He noted her slumped shoulders, her bruised eyelids in her paled worn-looking face, the frailty of her figure as she stood there trying to stifle the urge to yawn.  
  
"Your body is weak, you will need to exercise if you want to survive a battle. Or this training to begin with," he added coolly after looking at her up and down.  
  
'Why good morning to you too, smart ass,' Noor answered inwardly quite bothered by his abrupt change of mood. She knew that he would be a demanding master and did not expect any leniency from him. She could handle a foul tempered Kenobi barking orders in her face but this new cool attitude, the impersonal expression plastered on his face and his unreadable gaze surprised her.  
  
Before she could think any further he called her to order. "Do not let your mind wander apprentice, focus on the matter at hand, time is not on our side."  
  
He was right. But she could already tell that their relationship would be difficult at best.  
  
  
  
--Three weeks later.--  
  
They took their guard with their ignited light saber in hand, sizing up one another with a glance. Both were tired and wary. The tension that had built between them for weeks filled the air with electricity all around them.  
  
" You are too nervous. Relax, clear your mind and make your stance more supple," Kenobi advised tersely. " Are you ready to fight now?"  
  
She was dripping with sweat from an unmerciful day of training but managed a determined nod.  
  
He immediately deactivated his blade straightened and walked away without giving her a look.  
  
She dropped her head and breathed heavily to remain calm. It failed.  
  
"What's the bloody hell now?!" she burst, losing the last grip she had had on her temper for weeks.  
  
"Language Padawan," he scolded sternly before closing the men locking room door behind him.  
  
She was positively beside herself with anger when she marched to the door and yanked it open not giving a damn about modesty when she came to stand in front a very half undressed Jedi knight.  
  
"All right *Master*, let's get this straight. For a month you made my life a complete hell! But I shut up and obeyed, I climbed on ropes, on rocks, I ran for miles until I was on the verge of coma, suffered endless sessions of meditation, ran again, went through the most *painful* classes of fencing, cleaned up the whole practice room with a set of tiny brushes because it was supposed to teach me patience, etc. I know I'm unfitted and all yet I tried hard only to obtain more indifferent criticisms. So, true I am just an ill-tempered paddy but I am tired to try to match the impossible standards of a schizophrenic control freak who talks by riddles! Moreover, the time granted for my training ends up with the week and I still desperately need to work on my saber practice!"  
  
His face betrayed nothing.  
  
"Are you done?"  
  
"Quite," she snapped.  
  
He pursed his lips slightly and sighed. "I recognize my failure. Despite the odds I honestly thought at one point that I could train you and actually finish your formation. You just proved me how wrong I was. We are both wasting our time."  
  
"All I said was that I was ready to fight! Don't you think you are a bit overreacting?"  
  
He took a few steps towards her and bent forward bringing his face very close to hers making her feel the difference of heights and strength.  
  
"You are ready to fight indeed. You are so absorbed in your attempt to antagonize me that you forget everything you have been taught here. You won't be able to control the Force if you don't control yourself first hand. The Force is an ally for whom defends, not fights."  
  
"Oh, please you are going to drive me mad with those speeches. Maybe you are right, maybe we are doing nothing here but wasting away! The Council didn't really bother to consult me about all this," she said harshly, poking his bare chest to emphasize her statement.  
  
"They did. You agreed. That's why you are here."  
  
How she hated when he was right.  
  
"It's not as if I had the bloody choice! Can anybody turn down the Council once it has decided something? Damn! I think not."  
  
"Beside the fact that your choice of words is questionable, we also both know very well that your problem is not the mission nor the Council's decision."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No. It is obvious that your problem has to do with me only."  
  
Oh boy, he was asking for it.  
  
" The truth is Kenobi, that I left here a haughty hung up padawan to end up being trained by a frigid hung up knight. Quite a fascinating evolution!"  
  
"Oh.Is that all?" he asked, challenging her.  
  
"Well, you're a terrible tease too."  
  
All right, that wasn't her cleverest line ever.  
  
A derisive smile spread on the master's lips, his eyes were an icy shade of blue when he slowly started to walk forward forcing her to step back towards the showers wall.  
  
"Once more you are being unfair Padawan, the option in that respect was entirely yours. You accepted me as your master when I left to you the opportunity to refuse."  
  
She stopped when the cold tiles pressed in her back, she lowered her voice a bit although her anger did not diminish.  
  
"I did indeed. But I honestly don't understand why you plaited my hair if it's to offer a passive resistance afterwards. You watch your back anytime I am around, you are aloof and on the edge. You do know that the formation can only be achieved if there's a link of trust between an apprentice and the master. It's a team job. That's a basis, that's the Code. I trusted you to become my master because you trusted me back. What the hell changed since that night?!"  
  
"I actually started to train you. You have to realize that we are not on the 'old pals' mode now. Your attention is constantly flitting around, you pay no heed to my instructions. You are good but you are not that good. We are in the middle of a war, Noor and I really cannot afford to have your progression delayed because of your pride and your stupid behavior towards me. I am in charge of you, so whether you like it or not I intend to see your formation completed the way I choose," he answered harshly.  
  
Noor knew she had no room left for argumentation and that she should probably keep a low profile---  
  
And of course, she did not.  
  
" If we are such in a hurry and if I am so much of a fool, then why do we keep losing so much time on matters of secondary importance? Why do I have to spend countless hours deciphering codes, drawing maps of remote areas on Earth when the battle isn't taking place in the solar system."  
  
This time Kenobi's patience was reaching its limits, he leaned down and put his hands on the wall on either sides of Noor's head, trapping her efficiently.  
  
"Listen to me very carefully, Noor, because we will not have this conversation again. You have been here long enough to know that everything you learn has a specific importance. As you told the Council yourself, you don't know the odds of the next battle. Let me tell you that your unruliness will not give you answers more quickly. I know what I am doing for *I* actually became a Jedi knight and a master."  
  
"By necessity!"  
  
As soon as it left her mouth she bitterly regretted it. She bit her lip hard as she saw the impact of her words briefly show in his eyes before they became indecipherable again. He had hit a nerve with his last comment but her anger deserted her with the realization that she had gone too far this time. Kenobi pushed himself off the wall and went to collect his clothes in the other room.  
  
The young woman cleared her throat uneasily and came up behind him. "Look I- -"  
  
Kenobi turned around and sharply raised a hand to silence her. " That is quite enough Padawan," he snapped.  
  
The icy edge of his voice left her crestfallen, he had never talked to her like that not even when he was angry or displeased with her.  
  
He hastily finished to get dressed as she stood there clumsily, fumbling with her saber, mulling over a convincing apology.  
  
"You are dismissed for the rest of the day, you may go to your quarters and work on your meditation skills. Or lack of it thereof."  
  
Once more she tried to explain.  
  
"That will be all."  
  
With that he left.  
  
~*~  
  
She was really miserable.  
  
She spent the day biting her tongue as she played the whole scene over and over in her head curled up on her bed. How could she have said that? His reprimand was justified, why didn't she shut her mouth and get over her bruised ego? Kenobi had proved a thousand times that he had been worthy of his knighthood granted unusually quickly by the Council under a crisis circumstance. Still her foolish rejoinder had hurt him. Deeply.  
  
All she meant to say before anger had transformed her into an airhead fury, was that she missed the way he was that night in the garden. She sighed and buried her head under the pillow.  
  
It was a long before she could fall asleep that night.  
  
~*~  
  
The next day she rushed to the practice room, early for once, to apologize and work their disagreement out. She was determined to obey scrupulously his every command. Even if she had to run for another ten miles.  
  
There was nobody in the room.  
  
Ten minutes later, she stopped cold her nervous pacing to and fro and snapped her head up when she detected a presence. She felt butterflies her in stomach when the cloaked figure entered.  
  
"Master?!"  
  
Master Windu raised his eyebrows, amused. " Well, Noor I expected a tad more enthusiastic welcome from you considering I have not seen you in a month."  
  
She forced a smile. Although she was truly glad to see the older Jedi again, her thoughts were fixed elsewhere.  
  
"I am sure this overjoyed reaction will be brought to its paroxysm when you will learn that I found time to finish your formation myself."  
  
What?!  
  
Noor's eyes grew huge as her face fell. "But---Why is that?" she stammered.  
  
"Ah, my little Noor, seeing you again certainly does wonders to my ego."  
  
The master sobered up and observed his padawan. "What is wrong Noor? Master Kenobi didn't tell you?"  
  
"No sir, I thought I was to see him this morning and resume my training as usual. I need to talk to him about, umm. An issue. I guess it will have to wait the end of today's classes."  
  
"I'm afraid not, Master Kenobi left last night for Naboo to meet his padawan and then he will take his post in the Army. I thought you knew."  
  
Noor felt her heart sank.  
  
He eyed her closely, " Why are you confused Padawan? What happened with Master Kenobi?"  
  
Noor hastily shielded her mind and composed a carefree smile on her face.  
  
" Nothing Master. I was just surprised he had forgotten to warn me."  
  
"I see. I think we should take your training where you left it. We may begin with the saber--"  
  
Noor didn't listen to her Master anymore. Her jaws had imperceptibly tightened. If he didn't want to see her anymore that was fine with her. It was not the first time he would leave without a word. He could sulk in his corner as long as he pleased as far as she was concerned. Or not concerned anymore rather.  
  
She blocked Kenobi out of her mind and focused entirely on master Windu's instructions, she had wasted enough time.  
  
  
  
***** 


	8. Gabrielle

Then again I thank a lot people for the their reviews and do encourage do carry this good habit on :)  
  
I apologize for the liberties I probably take with the star wars set, battles and characters but heck am just having fun with it or my potential baroque dealing with English grammar ( it's not my first language) and for the rotten typography but there it's not my fault the site pay no heed to my own paragraph disposal!!. Enjoy and tell me what you think!  
  
  
  
  
  
*****  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 7  
  
  
  
--Three months later.--  
  
Noor read again the notice of her affectation on her data pad. She crossed the hangar to come into a halt in front of a massive commanding warship. "That's it," she told herself. After an uneventful week of training with her Master and several posts among the Army, she had been assigned on a Republican ship with the rank of commander. She would provide assistance to the general on board.  
  
Aside from the praising reports on the battle of Geonosis which granted him the commission of General, she had not seen or heard of Kenobi so far. Fortunately. She straightened her immaculate black uniform jacket and boarded.  
  
On her way to report to the Admiral, she noticed that all the rooms of the craft were functional, cramped and sterile, in a word military-- Oh joy--  
  
She was quite unprepared for the crew stopping cold and saluting her crisply on the main deck. 'I know a few people who would have died laughing at this point. Maeve would have killed me-- she will definitely do it when I go back-- that is, if I go back--' She mused with a rueful smile trying to blend in the landscape.  
  
"Umm let's see, vacant grin and circled eyes, I bet last night had been blissfully draining Commander!"  
  
Noor stopped dead on her tracks, snapped her head up, her eyes wide. " I beg your--" she trailed off as she discovered the voice's rude owner.  
  
"Gabrielle!!" she nearly shouted. After the stressful weeks of training on Coruscant and her beginnings in the military finding a friendly face was an unexpected treasure. She felt such a surge of joy and relief swell in her chest that she all but engulfed her in a fierce hug. Gabrielle had been her fellow padawan and friend all those years ago at the Temple. They just stood there in the narrow corridor grinning madly at each other.  
  
Remembering her status and that she was running late for her meeting with the Admiral, Noor said: " I have to report, wait for me here, I shan't be long." She looked at her friend's insignia, " Jedi knight Lieutenant Commander Baron, quite a mouthful."  
  
"You know who are our CO right?" Gabrielle called after her as she departed hastily.  
  
"I'll find out soon enough!"  
  
~*~  
  
Noor moaned, her head lying on her folded arms on a cafeteria table. "I am cursed."  
  
Gabrielle 'Elle' Baron sipped her tea rather diverted by her friend's dismay. Admiral Karr Nowl'Sinn had informed a fairly displeased Noor that she would have to serve under the orders of General Kenobi.  
  
"Yes, that's pretty obvious. I grant you it was a bit of a nasty shock, but come on, give the poor chap a chance!"  
  
"Somehow, I don't think that 'poor chap' is even close to describe Kenobi."  
  
" And you suggest?" asked Gabrielle rising the cup to her lips.  
  
" Uptight freak?"  
  
Gabrielle shushed her, holding back a laughter. "You're his second-in- command! Watch your language."  
  
"That's the theory, in the sad reality I am his map designer, his assistant in strategy, his optional punching bag, certainly not his second-in- command."  
  
"You haven't even met him as a general yet! I fear that there's only you to debunk the much adulated Kenobi who already won brilliantly two crucial battles in spite of his young age." Gabrielle quoted dryly from the military reports.  
  
"I just know him, Elle." Noor answered.  
  
She took her time to detail her friend clad in the dark officers' uniform. She was happy to find her almost unchanged after such a long time. She had the same longest strawberry blonde hair now neatly braided up in a bun like herself, the same laughing blue-gray eyes in her round shaped face. Gabrielle was one of the few Jedi who came from Earth too. Although they came from distant places, the two little girls, respectively Irish and American, had immediately befriended and until a relatively recent time, they had managed to keep in touch secretly after Noor's departure.  
  
"Lieutenant Commander Gabrielle Baron, 7th Squadron of the Republican Fleet. Somebody pinch me."  
  
"Speaking of shocking visions, those ribbons make you a full Commander, no less!" Gabrielle smiled to Noor. "The whole situation bears the patented Alrahan trademark! You turn up after ten years, the Council nearly beg you to come back--"  
  
"They dragged me back in you mean," Noor interrupted," that makes a vast difference, have you ever seen the Council beg?"  
  
Gabrielle resumed, unfazed: "You're seen sneaking out past curfew with hot dude Kenobi in the Temple's gardens and here you are, on a war ship, a top officer of the Republican army, could be worse."  
  
" Sneaking out past curfew with Kenobi? Oh please Elle! This is the poorest gossip I have ever heard!" Noor exclaimed, rolling her eyes, "how would you know that anyway?"  
  
The other young woman raised a mischievous eyebrow." Nothing remains secret for long at the Temple."  
  
"Oh great, now the whole crew will think I am sleeping with the CO!"  
  
"You are??!!" Gabrielle asked with a ravenous expression on her face.  
  
"No!!" Noor answered a little too forcefully, making heads turn their way.  
  
"You're hopeless sometimes."  
  
"That's Kenobi we are talking about!!" she said lower, considering Gabrielle as if she had suggested some lap dancing session in front of the Council.  
  
"So? We are Jedi, not monks," she retorted before adding philosophically, "he might have a temper but there's no need to talk once the lights are off. And the man has quite a body if you want my opinion--"  
  
"No thanks, you're sick." Noor said, appalled. "For pity's sake! We only went out in the gardens once, it was a very quiet walk and it was ages ago, end of the story."  
  
" Ha! So the rumor was true!"  
  
Noor paused to stare at her friend and then snapped her fingers in front of her face.  
  
"Elle? Elle! Focus! Use your brain while reading my lips. Obi-wan Kenobi secretly dating a woman! Dating me!! Where is the logic in that, uh?"  
  
The other woman frowned slightly. "Noor, what's wrong with the General? Why are you so enraged by him? You seem to dislike even talking about him."  
  
"No, no. I don't mind. Only one day he's nice and open and the next one it's as if nothing had happened. He's just a blasted lunatic." she said resentfully.  
  
"It's not exactly as if you weren't severely twisted yourself honey. Him. You. An interesting match really."  
  
Noor gave her a look that told her exactly what she thought of her sense of humor.  
  
"Like you didn't notice he was smart, *very* tolerably handsome, not to say drop dead gorgeous, and over six feet." Gabrielle said rather enthusiastically.  
  
"Don't get too worked up Elle, we're only mentioning his size in general," she countered with a wicked grin. "Nevertheless, besides the fact that he hates me by now, he *also* happens to be a Jedi."  
  
"So what? I'm a Jedi, you're a Jedi, that remains within the big family circle."  
  
"One word, darling. Code."  
  
" Noor, are you a human being? Do you happen to live now and then?"  
  
"Hardly, I am an archeologist and a Jedi." She said waggling her eyebrows.  
  
"You combine unhealthy activities."  
  
"What about your own unhealthy activities?"  
  
"I got engaged!!"  
  
Noor chuckled. " As always, your choice of words is a renewed source of amazement to me."  
  
"I'm just being lucid."  
  
"Unlike Mr. Right. Unless he has good Jedi reflexes or at least a solid sense of humor, the next 50 years of his life will be tough."  
  
"Oh good grief! No Jedi! Never! I've had more than my share of formal unflappable upholders of the law. He's serving in the Navy too, I went into a frenzied argumentation with the Council to be able to be with him."  
  
Noor winced sympathetically for the Council, she knew how relentless her friend could be once she had set her mind on something. If attachment was explicitly forbidden to the padawans, it was only frowned upon once they became knights as long as it remained discreet and met no particular opposition from the Council. But it certainly never deterred the Twelve to give you a hard time about it. They monitored *all* the galactic events from the most crucial diplomatic actions to the youngest padawan's first crush.  
  
"And he is very much in love with me, thank you!"  
  
"Like I said that makes him very brave, not very wise," Noor said with a smirk.  
  
"He's just--wonderful: handsome, dark curls, amazing smile--and on duty on another ship." A shadow passed on Gabrielle's face.  
  
Noor awkwardly reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "We're not made for all this, are we Elle?" She attempted to lighten the mood: "get a grip, you just shamelessly trampled your modern independent woman attitude."  
  
Gabrielle made a derisive sound and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "So how's your love life? Is there anyone waiting for you on Earth? Don't try to fool me you still haven't answered this young lady."  
  
" Well, it's very--" Noor strove to find the right word, " kenobi-esque Uncle Jeffrey."  
  
" That flat, huh? "  
  
They both sniggered naughtily.  
  
"You read my mind brain mate."  
  
" Not yet, hold on--Noor!!" she suddenly exclaimed, her eyes widened in shock, "You hunted him down in the locker room's showers?!!"  
  
Noor's jaws dropped as she started to mumble. " No! well--I didn't mean to- I, I was really mad and he refused to--Well you know, it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience--uh no!! Not like that!!"  
  
Elle was laughing by now and all protestations of innocence died on Noor's lips. " Wait, you didn't read my mind, did you?"  
  
The young woman shook her head through her fit of giggles:  
  
"Sheer lucky guess!" she managed to utter.  
  
"Wench." Noor grumbled as she watched her friend struggle not to collapse on the floor.  
  
They were interrupted by an announcement summoning everyone on the deck, the ship was about to take off.  
  
  
  
***** 


	9. The Guardians

Alright as usual I thank my usual reviewers for dutifully tell me what they think, feel free to write to me to ask about things or tell not positive comments when you feel like it deserves it, it helps too :)  
  
:: . :: = mental connection '.' =thoughts  
  
  
  
  
  
*****  
  
  
  
  
  
"General on the bridge!"  
  
The whole crew rushed from their post to stand at attention on two rows. Noor concentrated on not rolling her eyes and shaking her head. The military "manly" barking had never been her thing. Firm footsteps were coming from the other end of the room.  
  
A familiar voice whispered in Noor's head. ::Oh wow! Here comes general 'I'm a sex god' Kenobi. Jeez remind me to make a petition to canonize the tailor who designed those black uniforms pants so tight.::  
  
Noor sent a mental response to her drooling friend placed a row behind her. ::Here comes general 'I could be a sex god if I didn't look as if I had my own light saber shoved up my backsi--'::  
  
The black clad general in question chose that moment to appear in her field of vision and neatly stop his review in front of her. He took his time to turn around and face her as she frantically checked on her shields, praying that nothing leaked from her mind into his. She could hear Elle laughing in her head.  
  
His gaze swept over her and she felt a very uncomfortable sensation settle in the pit of her stomach. As much as she had tried to calm down and face whatever would come with serenity, Noor had dreaded this moment for months. She waited stiffly for him to speak or do something.  
  
But nothing happened. He seemed content with watching her squirm nervously under his unrelenting stare. The whole room was uncommonly silent. Just when Noor thought she was about to run away, he imperceptibly nodded.  
  
"No, it's fine, your mental shields are doing far better Commander."  
  
Noor felt her cheeks burning, had he sensed her thoughts? Her silly jokes with Gabrielle? This trip was not starting well. A classic between them.  
  
He briskly turned towards Nowl'Sinn, "How long will it take to reach the Y'Toub system and Nar Shaddaa Admiral?"  
  
" According to the navigators, we should drop out of hyperspace in a few hours."  
  
Nar Shaddaa? The Smugglers' Moon? Why in the blazes where they going in the Huttese territory?  
  
His eyes fell back on Noor as he addressed her. "Commander Alrahan, you will be in charge of the communication with the planet as soon as we get within its range. We are to escort a diplomatic detachment from the Senate on their way to secure a settlement with Myrkr until Nar Shaada. This trip will lead us to the outer ring where the Republic has little influence; a whole party of mercenaries and bounty hunters is gravitating in this perimeter. Probe the intentions of the Hutts with every means possible and make sure that we obtain a safe passage. They have an uncanny capacity to sense what is unsaid so keep your shields alert, we certainly don't want to fall into a trap."  
  
"Excuse me, sir, but isn't it hazardous to take a diplomatic mission on the dangerous way of the outskirts when we can take a short cut through the center of the system? Myrkr is in the middle rim," she asked a bit surprised by this imprudent move so unlike her one time master.  
  
The Admiral sent her a withering glare, there was no questioning the orders of a general in the Army, however, Kenobi answered.  
  
" So it might seem, but the Senate wishes that this mission goes with a maximum of discretion and has very few warships to spare on the security of diplomats, our going to relieve another crew as a back defense in Nar Shaada's orbit is a good pretext and solves both issues. I'm merely obeying my superiors' orders here, Commander and so should you."  
  
Both the CO walked away signifying to everyone to return to their task.  
  
Noor exhaled slowly and went to sit down in front of her computer to gather some extra information on said Nar Shaddaa. Lt Cdr Baron came to give her a short report on the planet.  
  
"What an affectionate reunion. I must say I'm impressed, the two of you have matured a lot: no yelling, no blood just a mere hostile sizing up, a very reasonable amount of ordering you around and a not too oppressive final rebuke," she said in a low voice and a straight face for the crew's benefit.  
  
Noor took the report, rolling her eyes. "Thank you, Commander, that will be all."  
  
" Yes, ma'am." She added in a whisper: " The General is rubbing off on you, it's not healthy." She marched off before Noor had a chance to shoot back.  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
Once more, Commander Alrahan thought she was about to drool out of boredom listening to the abysmally inane debate over the defense tactic. This brilliant topic had been launched by the painfully short witted Karr 'fat ass' Nowl'Sinn, as Elle had nicknamed him, glorifying both the so-called man of field admirable pear shaped figure and fine intellect to Noor's renewed delight.  
  
The daily report of the officers on board was really the worse part of her day. The protection system was operational and effective as it had already proved in several skirmishes with the smugglers. She had planned and carefully checked each element herself. Even Kenobi was satisfied with her strategy!  
  
Not that a specific strategy would have actually been useful lately though. Boring meetings about uninteresting matters, daily training and observation had been the only sources of occupation of the crew for a solid fortnight. There was a war raging in the galaxy but here they were in Y'Toub system, counting the stars around the ship, watching over a non-descript little moon as ordered by Kenobi-like it would scamper off or wave back at them- basically trying to stay awake. She knew better than telling that to her superiors given the reaction she got from Kenobi last time she tried.  
  
He was leaning back in his chair right now, listening patiently to his officers babbling. They still hadn't talked since he had left the Temple. Nothing outside business that is, and no more than the strictly necessary, hence no chance to bridge the gap between them. She knew she should squelch her frustration about the whole situation and move on. She looked at him closely from across the table, perplexed. The Jedi was difficult to grasp.  
  
Since he had taken up his charge as an officer, he had shaven his beard and his coppery blond hair that once brushed his shoulders were now cut shorter on his neck. He looked so much younger, the angles of his face were now more definite, sharper. Tricky thing to decide whether it was something good or a curse for her concentration, she mused before abruptly straightening up when she realized that she was openly staring, causing her stylus to fall with a loud clatter for good measure. She dropped her gaze on her note pad, finding a sudden and deep interest in the blank screen.  
  
All right, all right, the praising female gushing had a point there. Although it disgusted her to admit it, he was a good man, attractive and all. Even she could see that and. Well. Feel the effect it had on her. That and the almost indecently tight uniform she mentally added with a tiny but definitely devious grin. Thank the Maker he remained as pleasant as a jail door in her company.  
  
"Something entertaining, Commander?" a clipping voice inquired.  
  
Speaking of the devil--  
  
"No, sir."  
  
He audibly sighed. She was in for it.  
  
"Alrahan, although our present situation might not be as gripping as you would wish, I would like to keep my crew focused. "  
  
' Jeez, get laid man!' she thought rather irreverently, earning a shrewd glance from Gabrielle.  
  
"Would you provide assistance in that respect?" he asked then, looking right in her eyes.  
  
Noor distinctly heard her breath catch in her lungs. What was he talking about? The crew focus or-  
  
The most unnerving thing about Kenobi was that he always seemed to know when she was thinking something she shouldn't, remaining elusive enough for her not to be able to tell for sure.  
  
"With pleasure, sir."  
  
There. Two could play this game. If she hadn't known the General as well as she did, she would have sworn she saw a furtive spark of amusement in the look he gave her before he submitted another issue to the meeting. The lulling rumble of the discussion resumed. She mostly kept quiet, only giving succinctly her opinion when asked until the session reached its conclusion. Noor started to collect her things, waiting anxiously for the signal allowing her to retire in her quarters for the night.  
  
"Any last minute unladylike reflection you wish to share, Commander?" the General asked, barely bothering to hide his smirk. The slightly confused assembly turned questioningly towards her.  
  
Here was the answer to her previous question.  
  
"Er. not for the moments, sir," she answered as naturally as the guilty blush starting to color her cheeks allowed.  
  
"Very well, you are dismissed gentlemen."  
  
Everybody rose gratefully and moved to the door lead by the Admiral, except Noor and Gabrielle who lingered behind to exchange a few words with Lieutenant Limaadel on the concerning energy coupler's failure at the beginning of the preceding week. As the three of them walked towards the exit, their CO called them back sternly.  
  
"Unless you two have switched chromosomes over night, had some ungodly surgery done on your person or forgotten to mention something about your gender in the first place, this order was none of your concern. Lieutenant, you may go."  
  
Limaadel obeyed after glancing sympathetically at his colleagues. Kenobi was respected and spoken very highly of by his men but no one would have wanted to stand in his way or face his rare anger.The young women shared a long suffering look when they heard the door being locked by a tug of the Force behind them.  
  
He waited a few moments then marched to the communication holo unit.  
  
"The Council contacted us today," he said with milder voice, pressing a key.  
  
Mace Windu's tall figure appeared.  
  
"Greetings General. Our time is running short so I will go straight to the point. The Order had been devoted to the protection of the peace in the Galaxy and beyond for many centuries. Almost three millenniums ago, the Jedi discovered the existence of a massive destruction weapon developed by an ancient and remote civilization now disappeared. The danger was so real that the Senate sent the best Jedi elements to neutralize it and steal the plans. This action cost many lives but the mission was eventually completed, the plans were collected and safely concealed away from the members of the Republic at the Senate's disposition. This matter had been almost forgotten along the years then safely transformed into some kind of myth. You do realize however, that some did not forget. We are living through dark times: those plans cannot be discovered and fall into the wrong hands, the consequences would be too terrible. Therefore, you will bring your Jedi fellow Noor Alrahan to the hiding place. She is the only one who can actually find them, for even the present Council doesn't know exactly where they are. The Jedi knight Barron will help you both to find a way to leave discreetly and will then take up the lead of the ship with Admiral Nowl'Sinn. Keep this strictly confidential, we will have no more contact with you during the entire mission lest it should draw the enemy's attention on you. Your task is vital but don't forget to keep your serenity about you, don't let your judgment be clouded by fear or urgency and, Obi-Wan, take care of her. May the Force protect the three of you. "  
  
The transmission ended and the Jedi master's silhouette faded away. Gabrielle looked concerned, Noor stared blankly into emptiness.  
  
"If you have no further questions, Lieutenant, you can go to your quarters now."  
  
"Yes, sir," she said and walked out of the conference room. The hiss of the door closing behind Gabrielle gave way to a heavy silence.  
  
"I'm the only one who knows?" uttered Noor with a faint edge in her voice. Kenobi slowly nodded.  
  
"How so?"  
  
" Because you are an archeologist."  
  
"I know I may sound mentally retarded to you, but I'd appreciate very much if you took the trouble to explain! Why my being an archeologist appoints me out of the blue to be the 'man' of the situation? " she exclaimed petulantly.  
  
Kenobi leaned on the edge of the table with his arms crossed on his chest.  
  
" I think I should start from the beginning then. You have not been appointed 'out of the blue.' Far from it. The hiding place is situated in Israel, in an ancient city you know well. Although the Order hid the plans and trusted the legend around the story to keep intruders at bay, it did not leave it unprotected. A knight originally from Earth volunteered to watch over the site permanently. He was your ancestor."  
  
Noor's eyes grew wide as she understood what it implied. "Is that why my whole family has been so attracted by Caesarea for generations? Does that mean that all the archeologists and searchers among my kin were--Jedi? Even my father?"  
  
Somehow she had trouble to picture the elegant late Lord Alrahan, famous patron of the British Museum and globe-trotter aesthete in the stern frames of the Jedi's life.  
  
"Yes, the descendents of that knight were in charge of the protection of the plans, the status of scholar was a rather interesting job as well as a handy cover. For generations it had been so, your father in turn brought you to the Temple. Your family is a very special kind of Jedi, in the Corellian language Alrahan means 'Guardians'."  
  
Noor grabbed a chair and plopped down. "So the uproar around my departure ten years ago was--set up?" "More or less, the other members of the family have never known about the Jedi and the plans. You were to go back on Earth eventually but your sister discovered everything accidentally, she traded her discretion for the promise that we would cease to contact you and that you would learn about the site as late as possible. The Council refused but--"  
  
Noor let out a tiny smile. "Yes, I know how she can be."  
  
Kenobi sighed. "Well, the Order had to keep it absolutely secret so they didn't have much choice but they didn't despair that one day they would be able to reach you. You have been trained all your life for this."  
  
"Then what have we been doing here for 17 days?"  
  
"Firstly waiting for the Council to contact us safely. Follow me to know about the secondly."  
  
They went on the bridge where a few soldiers and technicians were finishing their watch. Kenobi dismissed them and the ship was switched to automatic pilot.  
  
"Here is the secondly," he said, pointing to a distant sphere through the view port.  
  
"Ah, your beloved little moon. What can be so formidable about that dull mass of dust?"  
  
"This is not a moon, Alrahan. It's a space station and currently the Council's deepest source of worry. It's far from being operational, still, according to the messages we intercepted, it might have to do with the plans we need to destroy."  
  
She looked up at him. "What type of weapon is described in these plans?"  
  
"I don't know exactly but the-vague-report I found at the Temple's library evoked a tremendous power for that remote time. It could suppress a thousand lives in a few seconds. With the modern means this power could be boosted and increase the capacity of destruction drastically, I guess it could even annihilate--"  
  
"A planet." They said at the same time.  
  
They both felt a cold weight settle in their chests as they exchanged a look before setting their eyes back on the apparently harmless moon.  
  
  
  
***** 


	10. Nightly duel

Umm an other chapter of that pretty long story, as usual don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it, good or bad, any suggestion or analysis is welcome:)  
  
~~~.~~~ stream of consciousness (First person narration)  
  
*****  
  
She tossed and turned on her bunk for what seemed to be hours, the images she had seen at the Temple would not let her rest that night. She hadn't said a word of them to Kenobi yet, it had been two days since they had talked but she was scared.  
  
Practice, that was what she needed, a good session of saber practice to tire her nervous mind out, to cleanse her of the nightmares and the doubts. She noiselessly got dressed, grabbed her saber and left the quarters she shared with Gabrielle being the only women officers on the deck.  
  
She crossed the almost desert bridge, the view they had of Nar Shaddaa from the cockpit was unsettling. The planet was the opposite twin of Coruscant. Once rich and powerful, the giant city had fallen over the decades into decay, looking now like a monstrous creature devouring itself. A sinister reminder of the Republic current fate.  
  
She shifted her gaze on the little moon and the impression of threat tightened in her. 'A star of death.' The words echoed in her mind.  
  
Deliberately turning her back to the ominous station and the poisoned planet, she went to lean on one elbow at the large panoramic window for a moment watching absently at the stars. When she caught a wave of the Force, she didn't have to turn around to see who it was.  
  
"Let's face it Kenobi, the Jedi golden age is drawing to an end. Look at this war," she said with a fatalistic gesture, "We failed to protect the Republic."  
  
" We are not politicians Alrahan, there is little we can do to purge a tainted system. The Republic is weak now."  
  
" The Republic died long ago!" She pointed out firmly. "And with it falls the Order. The first harbingers were already there before I left, but our judgment has been biased by our confidence."  
  
From the corner of her eyes she saw her CO's face harden slightly.  
  
:: You know I am right, with the civil war we are scattered all around the Galaxy, the Order is more or less expelled from the Temple and the Senate hardly ever consults the Council anymore. We are barely more than an old myth, just like the plans we are to seek.:: She sent mentally.  
  
The answer snapped back almost instantly.  
  
:: I am grateful for the scholar cool appraisal of the situation. May I mention however, that it isn't the Punic Wars we are talking about but a far more intricate, wider, and above all, present conflict.::  
  
"I happen to have a brain which enables me to be multifunction, therefore my job isn't my essence so I can think outside a library. QED." She countered aloud.  
  
Kenobi stood his ground exceedingly unimpressed: " Your syllogism is lame."  
  
"Consider it as an enthymeme then." She retorted with a sly smile. (NA: yes, it's a smartass scholar joke:))  
  
She sensed that he was fighting back a smile. "You know it's not. Not with three statements."  
  
"That's possible, I am not conservative either." She said using his own words.  
  
"You will never yield, will you?" He asked looking straight in her eyes.  
  
" Would you?"  
  
He answered with a dry snort and shook his head as he would have done in front of an incorrigible child. "This is the sound of my victory!" She concluded with a grin, feeling her heart growing lighter: they were back to their old bantering. Perhaps she could still win his friendship after all.  
  
"This is the sound that dismisses you to your bed and ends that absurd and frivolous conversation."  
  
Noor smiled knowingly, he was enjoying that little competition between them. She glanced at the chrono, it was around one in the morning. She still needed to work out the tension. She turned back to the General with a scheming glint in her eyes.  
  
"What?" Kenobi asked on his guards.  
  
"What about giving me a good lesson with a saber sparring then?" The young woman held up her weapon. He examined her as if she was some vicious five years old definitely up to something.  
  
" That's tempting but curiously, I am not sure that playing with a light saber at one in the morning is the most logical thing to do for two commanding officers. Or two adults. Let's not even mention the whining and moaning sessions that I had to go through to get you to practice during your formation. Go get some rest."  
  
She started to protest but he cut her short.  
  
"It wasn't a mere suggestion Commander." He warned back to his full General mode.  
  
For once, Noor only nodded and left without further argument. Kenobi sighed thinking that she would positively cause him to age prematurely and started a mental count down as he headed to his own quarters.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
'Screw him' She thought as she ignited her blade. She had chosen an empty meeting room far from the sleeping quarters.  
  
  
  
~~~ As graceful and efficient as the saber was, I have always disliked its threatening sound. I was so used to quietness. Closing my physical eyes I opened my mind's ones. I spotted invisible opponents, they were advancing slowly, surrounding me in a tight circle. How many were they? I didn't know I felt their movements more than I saw them. I anticipated them retreating, lunging forwards in a quick coordinated attack accompanying my sword in the macabre fight dance. Always the same, always renewed.  
  
Now warmed up my actions became swifter and more accurate.  
  
However, the circle narrowed progressively, their gestures were more aggressive. Their cloudy faces peaked through the darkness sometimes, but none of their vague features was familiar to me. I kept them at bay with wide motions seeing my blade cutting in the ghostly crowd that stepped back only to return more numerous.  
  
I was in danger, the space between them and me steadily reduced leaving little range to give a proper assault. I couldn't flip above them, their ranks were too tight. I was reduced to counter their attacks.  
  
Suddenly an indistinct visage caught my attention. For a mere second I saw with horror my father's face among my shadowy foes. The parched hole of his mouth opened disproportionately and I heard the thousand shrills of pain that have been haunting my dreams. Gasping I backed away giving an ample sweep of my blade to my right side maintaining my adversaries at a distance.  
  
I almost dropped my saber when it met at full speed an unrelenting obstacle. I tightened my grip on the hilt as a very familiar voice briefly commented~~~  
  
"Obedient. As usual."  
  
Her eyes flew open to meet the gaze of a mildly annoyed General.  
  
Of course.  
  
Before she had time to think of an excuse, he disengaged his blade from hers and launched into an unmerciful series of attacks. He was everywhere at the same time, testing her, always having her on the verge to make a mistake and open her line to his saber. She managed to block him, their blades crackling menacingly and casting strange shadows on the walls.  
  
Blue against white.  
  
It seemed that she was going to have her money's worth, fortunately this stuff had a training mode, otherwise. she felt a burn on her thigh, she hissed and recoiled a bit. Damn! It still hurt. She shielded herself, gathered the Force around her and flipped over him in order to get some more space and immediately attacked.  
  
Each of his moves was easy, precise and deadly effective, his style was elegant. He was an experienced warrior and was by very far one of the best sword men of the Order. He knew her way to fight, her favorite techniques, her weaknesses. she calmly evaluated her chances. and sneered derisively at herself. She was no match.  
  
But they both knew she would try all the same.  
  
"Stubborn paddy," he muttered with a small smile.  
  
"We loved to feel oppressed, it's in our genes." She answered brushing a loose lock of hair out of her face.  
  
Kenobi was a darn demanding adversary, no surprise there, but this time he wasn't holding back or merely showing her a move as he did at the Temple. They were both knights now and Noor had to take deep in her energy to fight him back. The duel was a succession of parry, thrust and blocking going over and over with no time to think in between. A single fault and she would be defeated.  
  
She had the aggravating sensation that he was leading her wherever he wanted.  
  
::I do:: He taunted her through the link.  
  
Her attention was flawed for a second, she dropped her shields long enough for him to send her to the floor with the Force. She landed flat on her back her breath momentarily knocked out of her lungs.  
  
:: See? :: his smirk was almost palpable in her mind.  
  
She barely had time to raise her blade to deflect his which was descending on her with an alarming speed. She wisely did not attempt to measure up with his strength and rolled on her side to get away from him.  
  
:: You are not playing fair Kenobi! ::  
  
He raised an eyebrow and she took advantage of it to shove him away with the Force.  
  
:: Well, I'm not either.:: she sent with a smirk of her own as she promptly stood up.  
  
From that moment on she avoided any type of situation which would expose her to close combat. Not a good idea with a man who was a good foot taller than you.  
  
The battle resumed. She slashed in the direction of his upper body causing him to duck and then tried to catch his legs with the biting heat of her blade but he smoothly jumped away only to retaliate with a thrust which missed her shoulder by an inch. A thin strand of her hair fell to the ground. She was so caught up in the action that she didn't see it and thrust at him in turn as he bent down to pick it up.  
  
Her aim was good and she caught him by surprise, but that was counting without his reflexes. He straighten up hastily and, accompanying her move, he pivoted until she found her right arm trapped between his upper arm and his side in one fluid motion. Carried along by her momentum, she collided in a wall of man, her saber meeting nothing but the void behind him when his blade was dangerously close to her neck. He switched it off ending the duel. She imitated him.  
  
Noor could feel his chest heaving deeply against hers. A half smile appeared on her face. At least she had tired him out. She, on an other hand, was on the verge of collapsing.  
  
"Are you trying to kill me Commander?"  
  
There was a teasing edge in his tone. 'Smug bastard', she huffed inwardly.  
  
"I seriously doubt it sir, for I'm quite dead myself." She said trying to focus on slowing down her breathing and not on the sensation of his own brushing against her brow. Her eyes followed distractedly a bead of sweat tracing lazily the curve of his neck.  
  
His face was inches from hers.  
  
'What if.'  
  
She trailed off as she though she saw the echo of her muted question flicker in his eyes for a split second. They didn't move, assessing each other. Something tensed up between them.  
  
She abruptly burst out laughing starting Kenobi who raised an eyebrow.  
  
" You really come from another world Alrahan," he said with a patient smile. "I see that our nightly training is diverting you greatly."  
  
"Indeed, I treasure our corny moments ." she retorted with a phlegm she did not quite possess at that minute. He let out a low chuckle.  
  
"That laughter, does that mean the you forgive me?" Noor asked, turning serious. She did not have to specify, he knew exactly what was she talking about.  
  
"Are you apologizing?" His asked with a mock shocked expression.  
  
She gave him a look. He raised his free hand and gave her the hair he had sliced.  
  
"There. I wasn't able to be there when they cut your braid, now you are a knight in my eyes too, it was a good fight. You are impossible but I think I forgave you before I even passed the door of the practice room."  
  
"But I hurt you, right?"  
  
His eyes were deep and calm. "Yes." He admitted simply.  
  
She lowered her gaze to the ground. "Well, likewise."  
  
He exhaled lightly. "Do you really think that maintaining on purpose a constant tension between us was pleasant to me?"  
  
Noor glanced up at him, puzzled.  
  
"You seemed so little convinced by the situation and your own skills. I knew from my memories of our padawan days that confrontation had always brought forth the best of you so I had to make you react." He smiled lightly. " Let's just say that it worked."  
  
"Indeed." She approved tartly. If a part of her was furious to have been toyed with again, the other couldn't help but to feel relieved that it had no personal cause.  
  
"Release me please?"  
  
He loosened his grip but kept hold of her wrist as he undid her tight uniform sleeve.  
  
Then he went for the first buttons of her shirt.  
  
She froze.  
  
"Um. I believe that you are undressing me General."  
  
"I am." Came the serene reply.  
  
She gulped and stiffened slightly when he slid the material of her blouse off her left shoulder and bent forward. She felt a burning sensation coursing in her upper arm.  
  
Gazing down she saw a long cut running down the bared patch of skin. He took a little vial out of his utility belt and poured a few drops of a brownish liquid directly on the wound making her grit her teeth. She relaxed, the burning gave way to an impression of freshness.  
  
"What an appalling dirty mind you do have. I am quite astonished." He stated visibly amused while he wiped the balm and the blood with a cloth, "How do you feel now?"  
  
"Absolutely mortified."  
  
"Excellent."  
  
"Tease." She muttered under her breath.  
  
"Here." He said rolling down her sleeve and gracefully ignoring her.  
  
Without thinking he reached out to button up her shirt just as she rose her hand to do it. Their fingers bumped awkwardly. Realizing what he had done, he quickly withdrew his hand and stepped away clearing his throat to cover his embarrassment. "Now go before I lock you up in the hold for insubordination and disrespect towards a superior."  
  
Noor laughed lightly. "You'd love that, wouldn't you?"  
  
He only waggled his brows.  
  
"That's what I thought." She confirmed and yawned  
  
"You can barely stand. Go. To. Sleep. And this time, don't get lost on the way back to your quarters Commander."  
  
"Ay, ay sir." She saluted unconvincingly and walked to the door.  
  
"You should do that more often."  
  
"What? Kick your sorry butt at saber practice?" He asked smugly.  
  
"No. Smile."  
  
The door slid closed behind her.  
  
  
  
***** 


	11. Riddles

All right I must say that I made up the geological cut of that part of Palestine, the Latin sentence is my translation and as you may notice if you're better than me in Latin ( which is not difficult mind you), I suck bad at it:) not that anybody cares:) let's just keep it for the exotic touch that it brings-- the other information is real-- I'd love to read your reviews as always:) thanks to my faithful reviewers, to Michelle and Stephanie for beta reading!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*****  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
--Three days later.--  
  
  
  
She sensed eyes on her. They were watching, following her every move intently as she struggled with an impressive pile of papers.  
  
Half immersed in an ocean of maps, notes, books, and sketches, a pencil slipped in her hair to keep it perilously gathered in an unstable bun, Noor had shifted back to the Dr Alrahan attitude. A finger pointing to a line in a voluminous edition of The Gaffiot (NA : a French-Latin dictionary, tremendously boring but the most complete stuff in the world.) she was scribbling down a few hasty notes on a note pad. Then she rummaged in the paper mess and dug up a worn copy of Al-Koran and another one of the Torah. Her brow creased in concentration, she leafed through it, compared something with the notes she had previously took and went back to her furious scribbling.  
  
Suddenly, she put down her pen and sighed deeply. "Stop staring like that please, I can't concentrate."  
  
"I'm sorry, but you have been locking up yourself in that room for hours in the past three days. We are supposed to be on the bridge in a few minutes to take our watch. The rest of the crew will find it strange if their watch CO misses it," Gabrielle answered walking out of the shadow.  
  
Noor dove back in her files, increasing even more the speed of her scrawling, if that were possible. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be done for tonight. I'll go directly to my post, I promise."  
  
"Fine by me, let's just pray that the Admiral won't find out, this guy has a distinct problem with our presence in his ship. By the way, why did you leave in the middle of the night the other day?" Gabrielle inquired casually.  
  
Noor stopped abruptly to write and gazed up at her friend.  
  
The young officer groaned and threw a hand up. "On second thought, I don't want to know."  
  
Observing the other woman's face, Noor realized that she was suspiciously cheery in the middle of the ship's boring routine. "Spit it out."  
  
"A message from my fiancé. The war is raging in the middle of the galaxy. The Confederacy lost some ground last week in a battle near Myrkr but they are far from surrendering. At least, he is safe and sound so far," she answered quietly, a wide and beautiful grin coming to grace her features as she sat on the edge of the overloaded desk.  
  
"Are you still using those antiquities?" She flipped open a book with a contemptuous finger. Noor slapped her hand away with a pull of the Force.  
  
"Don't insult my best friends."  
  
"Noor, what you just said gives a pretty frightening glimpse of your life."  
  
" Ah, not everybody has the luck to have 'the perfect man' serving in the Navy too."  
  
"You just don't see what is right under your nose dear," Gabrielle drawled with a crooked smile.  
  
Noor didn't even bother to answer.  
  
"All right, have it your way then! All I have to say is at least data pads don't wreak havoc in the place you work in. It looks like a tornado swept through this room," she added, "May I ask the cause of such a frenzy?"  
  
Noor's eyes twinkled and a grin spread on her tired features. Elle instantly regretted her question: she knew that expression, the one of the excited searcher that just made a capital discovery about tell you about it in a long, minute and obscure exposé in her own idiom. She sighed and braced up.  
  
" Well, I've been comparing the work of Avi Yonah, the archeologist in charge of the dig at Caesarea between 1956 and 1961, and my father's report on the Roman theater's dig out of the sand ten years later. My father mentioned something strange about the composition of the soil. So I checked it around the basements of the fortress of Abd-Ashtart on the Western end of the site. It dates back from the 4th century AD and is obviously the most ancient element discovered. Logically, it's the most ancient trace of that civilization. The ground there is siliceous, like in the greatest part of the Southern Phoenicia. No big surprise, given the deep layer of sand on the coast and the orientation of the wind. But going East, there is a tiny section of limestone showing on the surface whereas the portion isn't even exposed to the wind. Amazing isn't it?"  
  
Elle stared blankly at her.  
  
Noor smiled apologetically and grabbed a geological cut of the site ground. Pointing with her pen on the map, she explained: "More clearly, the City was swallowed by the sand after its destruction by the Mamelukes, an Arabic dynasty, around the 13th century. We can date a site with the geological layer, the limestone is situated just under the sand, it used to be on the surface but a long, long time ago, then the erosion and the wind turned it into a desert. Its presence on the surface is very unusual."  
  
"Does it mean that this place has been dug letting the limestone show?"  
  
"Apparently not," answered Noor looking in Lord Alrahan notes, "There, he says that according to the examination of the geologists and the archeologists working with Dr Yonah, this place had remained untouched. It is the tomb of Prince Abd-Ashtar and was well hidden in the rocky edge that borders the coast."  
  
Noor rubbed her eyes and leaned back in her chair stretching.  
  
"Well then the area is anterior to the prince era. His contemporaries just used the already existing site as a tomb," mused Elle.  
  
Noor opened an eye. " Could be, yes--" She slowly sat up. "Which could bring us around the time where the whole plan crisis occurred. It would make sense because those people didn't have the means to make so deep an excavation, it would have asked a much more developed civilization--" She stopped short and stared at her friend.  
  
Gabrielle wiggled her eyebrows with a sly smile. "I think we should tell the General."  
  
"Tell the General what?"  
  
The General strode in the room as they both stood at attention. "May I know why you two aren't doing your watch and why does this place look like a complete junkyard?" he demanded sternly.  
  
Gabrielle couldn't resist a comment. "Don't insult her-- never mind, sir," she hastily concluded, straightening her stance when Kenobi cast her a sharp glance. When it was only the three of them, the tone was usually less formal than in front of the crew, but now he was in the general mode and obviously not in a bantering mood.  
  
Noor waited for the ranting session to be over and calmly said : "We might have found where the plans are, sir."  
  
In a second, Kenobi had the room's door closed and locked without even moving a finger. "Go on."  
  
She proceeded to tell him all the details. "Well, of course, all of this is a speculation. I still have to find elements to confirm what the nature of the soil seems to indicate, but so far, it's our best chance."  
  
"But the tomb of the Prince has been carefully searched and surveyed. How can be sure that they are still there?" Gabrielle intervened.  
  
Kenobi shook his head. "There is nothing certain about it, but I don't think that the Jedi have treated this matter lightly, they knew that people would try to find it. It has to be there."  
  
"Well, it only took me three days to locate the potential hiding place," Noor pointed out, " and I am not even a very experienced archeologist."  
  
"All the archeologists aren't Jedi and not all of them have--" he bent down to look at the note book Noor held, "your father's report? Is it the one that was published?"  
  
"No, it's his personal notes and thoughts about all his excavations, he wrote there all the oddities and anecdotes about the different sites. It's too messy and elusive to be published. "  
  
"Have you heard of any work that mentions that section of Caesarea and the showing limestone?"  
  
"Mentioned yes, in some minor reports that nobody reads except the specialists, but analyzed not really."  
  
"I guess that gives us a slight advantage. The council suspects that your father knew where the plans were. Commander Baron, will you please go and take up the watch now? Your absence would trigger curiosity. Inform the crew that the commander is sick or something like that. We will try to figure out this issue a bit further."  
  
Gabrielle nodded before taking her leave.  
  
Once they were alone in the room Noor returned to her seat. "People will talk," she declared simply.  
  
The look on his face showed that they could darn well talk for all he cared. He grabbed a chair and both returned to work without further comments.  
  
Two hours later, Kenobi resolutely pushed the huge dictionary of Eastern archeology aside thinking that his head was going to implode. He looked over at Noor who looked close enough to fall off her chair, although she was feverishly manipulating big expanses of papers, tracing, drawing, erasing, starting again. He rose, walked around the desk and bent over her shoulder to peruse the object of her active interest.  
  
"The ancient City," he said, recognizing Caesarea's series of ramparts on the maps scattered in front of her.  
  
"Yes." She brushed her hands over her tired eyes. " I'm trying to make head or tail of my father's drawings and notes. If the Council is right then there must be at least a clue somewhere."  
  
He looked closer to the sketch she was drawing. "So this is what your whole family swore to protect? There is so little left though, just some sand and carved stones, a kingdom fallen to dust. Yes," he said, grazing lightly on the paper surface, "it looks almost-- dead."  
  
She turned to face him, eyeing him attentively. She sensed that his comment reached far beyond the Roman city and realized with a pang that he might have also meant the Order, and his own life serving it. Her voice softened as she tried to answer his possible double meaning.  
  
" Oh, no, don't think that, it's so much more."  
  
"What is it then?" he inquired caught by the sudden change of her inflection.  
  
She smiled up to him. " Something infinitely graver, fainter. It's a dream."  
  
He observed her for a short while. "You always live in a bubble, Alrahan."  
  
"Yes, my job is a big bubble that provides me food and shelter. Aren't I the lucky one?"  
  
"You're scared of the world," he said in a low voice.  
  
Noor was a bit taken aback by that answer. "What?"  
  
"And you are scared of me," he stated quietly.  
  
She snorted nervously, "That was pretty desperate, General."  
  
She always felt so at loss when it came to handle him, it always brought up a kind of a defensive edge in her lest he. lest he what?  
  
"I just know what I see. You should open your eyes to what surrounds you, people who died centuries ago in foreign countries aren't a life. Maybe that.unlocking yourself would enable you to see things that are worth it."  
  
Noor raised an amused eyebrow. "Will you dare to assert that you are convinced by your own words?"  
  
Kenobi grimaced and broke into a boyish grin shaking his head. "Not really. Not today."  
  
Noor remained struck in her chair. Force! He could warn before doing things like this! She stared giving in to his contagious smile, realizing for the first time that the man had dimples. Dimples--  
  
She berated herself for suddenly turning all girl on him, but she couldn't help her increasing curiosity toward the man appearing through the stern persona he had given himself during his whole life. She shook herself.  
  
"The most powerful, tangible things were dreamt first. The Roman Empire was a dream, the Republic was a dream, the Jedi was one too. Dreams are not always some elusive transportation into fantasy fogging the mind, they are the fragile beginnings of something greater, they are a vehicle for the subconscious and they are worth fighting for, we are both the living proof of it."  
  
"Tell me then, Alrahan, does you bubble have room for two?"  
  
Maybe this was the way. She patted the desk near her. "Sit here, I'll show you."  
  
He smirked. "Always the great conjurer of dreamy visions."  
  
" Just wait until you've seen it all," she said wiggling her eyebrows. "Be still now," she directed gently.  
  
He complied. She leant towards him and put her finger between his eyes. "Relax now, close your eyes, and concentrate on my touch." She watched him gasp lightly as their surroundings faded away. A smile danced in her gaze and she let him go.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
It was daybreak.  
  
He was standing on a broad paved road, the blue-gray shadows stretched lazily in the corners. It was before the glowing scorching day, before the tawny gold hours of the East.  
  
Not dark anymore, nor light yet.  
  
Not a sound came to his ears, not a presence could be felt through the Force, only the whisper of the wind. A city at dawn for a lone man who believed--in what? No one would bear his name and carry it along after him. He wouldn't marry, he wouldn't have children, all he would leave behind would be a shadowy part in some improbable legends, and a bunch of old stories that would fall before long into oblivion. Did he suffer from it? He had chosen this path.  
  
He knew what had transpired between Senator Amidala and Anakin. Maybe he was failing his apprentice somehow, but he had chosen to look the other way, allowing him tacitly to have what he had denied to himself.  
  
His eyes followed the stout columns holding the buildings high towards the sky. Caesarea spread around him untouched by time as she was when the Caesars made her the pearl of the rebellious Judea. She? Yes, a living energy flowed there, only stilled, hidden beneath the blond stones. He closed his eyes and open himself to the city's heartbeat.  
  
He felt a tug of the Force urging him to move forwards. He walked for a while in the deserted streets, following his instinct. He noticed the archaic weaponry lying haphazardly on the ground. Arrows, torn armors, broken swords hastily left behind, a battle had obviously taken place within the ramparts. Turning left, he walked up a narrow alley, chose to turn left again in the labyrinth of the streets to finally stop in front of a plain wooden door. Without thinking he pushed it.  
  
Behind it was an inner courtyard adorned with flowers. He recognized some of them for having seen them in Noor's hidden garden. In the center was a small pool surrounded by four statues. Kenobi bent down to quench his sudden thirst and bathed his face with the deliciously cool water. When the ripples faded away, he saw the reflection of the statues around him. He turned around and observed them.  
  
Apparently they were allegories, a short sentence in a foreign language was carved in the marble of the pedestal.  
  
:: Latin :: Noor's voice whispered in his mind, still mentally tuned to him.  
  
The first statue pointed a slender finger towards her heart and another one towards her brow. As he examined the inscription beneath it, Noor translated:  
  
BALANCE--TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS FIRST, REASON WILL ALWAYS FOLLOW.  
  
A long stone veil draped the second statue's head,  
  
MYSTERY-INVISIBLE AND PRESENT I STAND BEHIND THE VEIL.  
  
More and more puzzled Kenobi moved towards the third statue. This one was entirely veiled as well except the eyes which stared piercingly ahead. The sentence below read:  
  
VERITAS--NO PERQUISIRAS ME SI NON REPERIES ME ANTEA.  
  
:: 'You would not seek me if you had not already found me', :: said Noor. :: This is the allegory of Truth. It's very strange, what sort of game is this? ::  
  
Kenobi did not answer; his gaze was fixed on the fourth statue's face. It represented an imposing warrior but his expression was mild and serene.  
  
:: What does it say ?:: he breathed.  
  
Noor hesitated for she knew what he was thinking, then spoke up:  
  
CONSOLATION-HONOR YOUR PREDECESSORS BUT DO NOT FORGET TO LIVE.  
  
A lone tear trailed on the hardened General's face.  
  
" Master," he breathed and reached out a hand to touch reverently the representation of this long lost paternal figure.  
  
Instead of the cold stone his fingers brushed something warm and soft. Solid too. His eyes flew open to discover that he was leaning forwards with his hand resting against Noor's shoulder. He removed it and inhaled deeply to regain his bearings. His eyes were wide and questioning.  
  
Noor peered at him as confused as he was, her own strolls in the city were much more peaceful.  
  
"Caesarea is many centuries wise, she talks to our souls. She gives advice and acts like a mirror, a kind of allegory of what is harbored deep inside oneself," Noor said, trying to explain what happened.  
  
"Nothing dreamy in fact," he snorted dryly, attempting to regain his composure. He lowered his head staring absently at the floor.  
  
"Nothing bad either," she replied, brushing back shyly a strand of his hair that had fallen in front of his eyes.  
  
Her eyes suddenly grew wide in alarm and Kenobi's head snapped up. A strong rippling of the Force had them both scrambled to their feet.  
  
"Kenobi!"  
  
"I know I sensed it too."  
  
A second later the ship was shaken by a large jolt and the alarms started blaring.  
  
"We're under attack! To the bridge!" Shouted the General.  
  
  
  
***** 


	12. To fight and to fall

Hey! Wow, I got some very nice and encouraging reviews! My ego and I thank you a lot :) Keep telling me your opinion. I had no real inspiration for the title of this part as you can see *winces* I'll try to come up with something else.  
  
So, to answer a question, yes, this story contains major spoiler of episode uh. 4 "A new hope", --I get confused with all those numbers--, and yes, the characters were talking about the Death Star when mentioning the "little moon".  
  
*****  
  
Both of them darted towards the bridge joining the rest of the crew. Kenobi ordered an immediate retreat before disappearing in the control room. Noor ran to her post to check the damage as the ship lunged forward. She winced when the terminal indicated several critical impacts on the shielding system and on a reactor.  
  
"Bounty hunters!" cried out one the navigators, pointing towards the port.  
  
Outside the view port, at least a dozen fighter ships were launching a combined attack. An almost palpable shudder of disgust coursed through the crew: here went the Hutts agreement to stay neutral. It had cost a fortune to the Senate, obviously money gone to waste.  
  
Noor made a quick assessment of the situation; their vessel was infinitely bigger and more sophisticated than the basic weaponry of the small crafts, but it was also slower and more difficult to handle. Their well-calculated strategy based on the surprise effect and their greater mobility had enabled them to cause serious damage before the crew had had time to activate the deflector shields.  
  
Another commotion sent the ship reeling and the lighting went off leaving only the dim red emergency lights.  
  
"Prepare to switch on hyperspace!" Nowl'Sinn bellowed to the pilots.  
  
A wave of unease sent Noor running as fast as she could in the semi darkness towards Gabrielle. She leaned over her shoulder, checking the parameters of their destination on the screen and saw her suspicions confirmed. Sensing her thoughts, the young commander cast an alarmed glance to her friend. They both turned and exclaimed together:  
  
"No! Wait!"  
  
The Admiral glared at them.  
  
"We're going to enter an asteroid field sir; we can't drop into hyperspace now." Noor stated firmly, silently thanking Kenobi for having her draw and learn all the possible maps from the center of the Galaxy to the outer rim at the Temple.  
  
"Listen closely, Commander, the General might be quite taken with your pretty face, but what happens in his bed certainly doesn't give you the right to counter my orders!" he spat loud and clear in front of everybody. "If *you* know that we are going through an asteroid field, then how comes our radar doesn't?"  
  
Noor was too shocked by the innuendo of his first words to answer right away. She knew of the Admiral's disapproval of both her high ranking and her bluntness; she also knew of the various gossips going on in the crew, but nobody had ever seemed to pay much attention to it, much less rubbed it in her face as their CO had just done.  
  
Braced on his arms over the map table in the control room, Kenobi was pondering with two of his officers a way to escape since fighting back was proving to be useless. Although he hadn't directly witnessed what had happened on the bridge, he had sensed the indignation and shame emanating from Noor through the Force and guessed its source rather easily. Apparently unconcerned, he went on scanning the maps.  
  
In the dark room nobody noticed his tightly clenched jaws nor his whitened knuckles gripping the table.  
  
The heavy silence was suddenly broken by the Twi'lek Petty Officer Sleelusien. "The Commander is right, sir, the instruments just showed an asteroid field within our trajectory."  
  
"It's a trap sir," Noor commented with a hoarse voice, " They are pushing us in the wrong direction to send us crashing against the asteroids."  
  
Nowl'Sinn turned away, "There is no other direction to go, we must go through this field and then we'll be able to activate the hyperspace."  
  
The Twi'lek shook her head.  
  
"The ship is too big; we won't get through it alive!" yelled Gabrielle.  
  
The Admiral's venomous retort was cut short by Kenobi's sudden appearance on the bridge, the officers in tow. " They are right, Karr, the vessel isn't conceived for that, we won't stand a chance."  
  
" Sir, another reactor has been hit! We're losing power!"  
  
The two commanding officers exchanged a quick glance before the General took charge. Facing his second-in-command, he issued his instructions calmly: "Alrahan, proceed with the evacuation of the crew, make sure everyone gets out safely. There's no use wasting lives to protect the ship. "  
  
Noor looked at him apprehensively. This was not good.  
  
"Sir! The radar detected an apparently large vessel coming our way. It has not responded to our identification demands," said the Petty Officer.  
  
"Go, Alrahan, now!" pressed Kenobi, keeping his voice even.  
  
Noor directed the people into the emergency capsules, though the lack of light made it difficult. A good majority was already gone unharmed efficiently covered by the ship. She watched with relief as the number of the crew still on board diminished. The commanding officers including the General, the Admiral, Gabrielle and she would leave last with the pilots and the radar officer, she mused. Maybe in ten minutes they would be able t-  
  
The ship suddenly dropped for a long second, sending everybody crashing on the floor and causing Noor to knock her head hard against the wall. She dazedly registered that the ship stabilized its altitude before abruptly rearing up, making her slide brutally on the ground.  
  
A strong grip caught her and dragged her to her feet before she hurt herself again. Her head was pounding and she leaned on Kenobi for support. He grasped her elbows to steady her.  
  
"Are you all right?" He hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to examine the gash on her forehead.  
  
"Since when did you become so gallant, Kenobi?" she replied, flinching at the sudden motion of her head.  
  
He rolled his eyes and tugged on her arm after making sure that nobody was seriously injured. "Let's go collect your notes and your father's journal, we must leave the ship quickly."  
  
"Why are we constantly lurching? Those damn crafts can't shake such a massive warship like this, now can they?" asked Noor, doing her best to keep up with the General as he dashed towards the study.  
  
" There's always a bigger fish, and this time it's not working in our advantage!"  
  
"What are you talking about?!"  
  
"The ship detected by the radar earlier belongs to the enemy's fleet. It managed to catch up with us and is presently dragging us towards them with a magnetic field, that's why we are shaken like this. All the deflectors are down because of the smaller crafts' attack, we have no choice but to flee."  
  
Within two minutes, they had gathered the most important notes and the journal. Noor cast a forlorn look at the books she had to leave behind as Kenobi grasped her hand to pull her out of the room. They stopped cold as a new tremor hit the hull.  
  
"Too late, they are boarding," he said, backing up. He quickly scanned his surroundings and spotted an air vent. Noor followed his gaze up and immediately dreaded the rueful smile creeping on his face. He pushed her towards it.  
  
"You guessed it all right, Alrahan. Get in the shaft, it leads to the hangar."  
  
She inspected skeptically the dark and narrow passage.  
  
" It's your idea, you go first!"  
  
~*~  
  
Inside the shaft, the atmosphere was stifling. There was not a breath of air in the long metallic maze through which they were forced to move at a crawl. Noor secured the tattered pieces of her uniform jacket that she had wrapped around her hands and arms to shield her from the heat of the metal and to muffle the noise of their progression.  
  
Their mission was starting sooner than expected.  
  
Kenobi was using the Force to reach the hangar where they would sneak out in one of the fighter ships and depart immediately for Earth. The whole surprise attack had given him a very bad feeling. Under his cool way of taking things in charge, Noor understood that he wasn't too happy to leave his men behind, she was quite afraid for Gabrielle as well. Jedi knight or not.  
  
As they crept above what had to be the control room, a choppy electronic sound boomed beneath them. Noor stilled, a cold sweat coursed on her back.  
  
Battle droids.  
  
In front of her, Kenobi froze as well, listening and probing their surroundings with the Force. They perceived the motion of a group. What was left of the crew was being gathered there.  
  
Ahead of them, the tunnel was divided in two directions. To the right was the way to the hangar, to the left was a broader passage ending on a grate which opened on the room.  
  
After a short while, Kenobi stated to move to the right. She grabbed his booted ankle.  
  
:: Wait::  
  
:: I know what you think, but we can't. They probably won't do them any harm, just as they didn't chase the capsules earlier. They are looking for us. Now hurry up or they will seize all the crafts. ::  
  
She didn't release him.  
  
:: Let me pass, I have to check on them before we go. Gabrielle is here too, I can sense her.::  
  
:: Stop arguing! The Council assigned the three of us to precise tasks, hers is to cover us. She can take care of herself, she's a skilled knight.::  
  
:: She's my friend too, now if you'll excuse me..:: She raised herself as much as she could on her hands and knees and started to crawl over Kenobi's body.  
  
::What the blast are you doing, Alrahan?!::  
  
She fought back the embarrassment flushing her cheeks and answered dryly:  
  
:: Nothing sexual sir, just forcing my way.::  
  
When she passed over him, she heard him hold his breath, probably trying to keep his growing exasperation in check. However, he flattened himself down, allowing her to push herself to the grate, he too wanted to know how the crew was fairing.  
  
Her breath caught in her lungs as she counted the injured people among the small group. She spotted her friend crouched down against the wall, at the far end of the room near the Admiral, her face covered with dirt. The young officer assumed a calm demeanor in front of her fellows.  
  
Noor mentally called her. She rose her head hastily, scanning the room about her.  
  
:: In the air vent above you on the right,:: Noor instructed.  
  
:: Don't move from there, they are looking for you, brain mate. Where's the General?.::  
  
:: Frying in hell for all I care.::  
  
She could sense Kenobi sending her a dirty look behind her back.  
  
:: Noor.::  
  
:: He is with me.::  
  
:: How is the situation from up there?::  
  
:: Pretty much as it looks, Elle.::  
  
:: Oh. that bad.::  
  
Noor took a quick decision. ::You are coming with us to Earth. They will probably transfer you to their ship, we will get you then.::  
  
::What will become of the crew, Noor?::  
  
::They will be taken as simple prisoners and then probably released, they are after Kenobi and me. Don't you realize that you and the Admiral are the only CO left and that they might think that they already have us?::  
  
Something flickered on Gabrielle's face for a split second, she shut down the mental connection and leaned towards Nowl'Sinn. Noor saw them exchange a few words, the other officer gravely nodded his assent. Gabrielle risked a brief look in their direction and it seemed to Noor that her eyes were a little too bright. She put her hand on the grate which stood between her friend and her.  
  
Four droids entered the room demanding the officers in charge to stand up.  
  
:: You are not doing this, Gabrielle. The two of you stay down and don't move,:: said Kenobi firmly.  
  
::There's nothing you can do without jeopardize the crew's safety.::  
  
::This is a very ill time to be stubborn, Gabrielle Baron. Stay. Bloody. Down!:: Noor hissed, a sick feeling knotted her stomach.  
  
She already knew. yet she couldn't let it happen.  
  
::Don't force me to turn it into an order Lieutenant Commander!:: snapped the General behind her.  
  
:: This will give you time! I do what I have to, sir. Don't fail us. :: she answered.  
  
She slowly stood, followed by the Admiral. Kenobi watched in silence.  
  
:: You are both insane!:: Noor yelled, clutching fiercely the grate but the officers were already up in the middle of the group.  
  
:: Elle please. What about him?:: her voiced broke through the link.  
  
:: He will understand. Don't be troubled my friend, I am not afraid.::  
  
From this, everything happened quickly. The droids went to grab them roughly. Nowl'Sinn's face held no other expression than solemn composure.  
  
A single tear trailed on Gabrielle's cheek as they led her away but she was calm. She lightly turned around to catch a last glimpse of the grate before the door slid shut.  
  
The Force came around Noor and engulfed her in her friend's warm embrace, whispering:  
  
::Don't be sad Noor. I'll be waiting for y--::  
  
Everything brutally crashed, the link was broken, the soothing waves died away.  
  
Noor's mouth opened on a mute scream.  
  
Before she had time to send the grate flying and fling herself down in the room, she was seized from behind by a strong grip. Under them, the crew was set in movement again.  
  
Kenobi blocked her as well as he could with his arms and legs while she thrashed to free herself, sending him down on his back. He didn't let go, wedging her tightly against him. Swiftly turning her around, he muffled her broken cries against his chest.  
  
They lay down for a moment wrestling silently until his voice erupted in her mind.  
  
:: Stop this! The droids have movement detectors.::  
  
Her disorderly struggle subsided and she lay still. He cautiously caught her face between his hands and lifted it from his chest. When he saw her expression, her void eyes, her colorless complexion, he adverted his gaze for a second. He knew that strange feeling of emptiness all too well, she couldn't cry, she couldn't mourn, she was slipping away. Focusing back on her, he whispered.  
  
" Live Noor. Honor her and live."  
  
His thumb lightly grazed her cheek as her gray eyed shone with the first unshed tears.  
  
  
  
***** 


	13. Crisis

Hello people! Hope you had a nice Halloween. Here's another chapter, I must say that the rhythm of my posting might slow down given that I'm getting busy with university:) I'm taking off the Erratum and will correct the first chapters when I have some spare time. Tell me if you liked or detested that chapter, it's a bit long, hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.  
  
~~~. ~~~ first person narrative, they are always direct fragments of the memoir Abigail found in the first chapter. Ps : If you really can't stand the typology of the site, just mail me and I'll send you the Word version which is more comfortable to read. :)  
  
*****  
  
The rest of the way down to the hangar had happened in wispy haze for Noor. She barely registered the blasters shooting in their direction as they rushed toward one of the space shuttles.  
  
Kenobi was planning and reacting for her, shielding them behind his saber and urging her to keep going. She snapped out of her stupor when she heard him gasp and slowed down to check on him, but he pushed her forward, a hand clutched to his side.  
  
:: Later,:: he said.  
  
The Jedi managed a rather spectacular and in Noor's opinion, miraculous take off from the ship. Strapped in a seat in the cockpit, she sensed nervousness gaining on her, as he worked frantically on losing the fighter starships chasing them.  
  
It was upon her again. she felt it coming; there was nothing she could do to stop it. The tremors of an obscure tension sent shivers coursing over her skin, a great chilling sensation seized her as her temperature started to rise. She moved slowly, caught up by the fevers duality: although her skin felt frozen to the touch, she was burning up. She unfastened her belt under Kenobi's bewildered glance and walked to the cabin in the back.  
  
Noor lowered herself on the couch, saving her energy for the exhausting battle she knew was coming: her own body shaken by the first waves of the crisis. She had to face it alone. Once more.  
  
An intense pain crawled up her back and crashed through her whole body, tearing a raspy gasp from her. The whole process was getting under way, the nightmare was about to begin. When another sharp spasm hit her, she reflexively curled into a ball. If she reduced the impact surface of the pain, maybe it would hurt a little less-  
  
She closed her eyes tightly and clutched the couch, focusing on her breathing, in and out, over and over again. The column of air she raggedly drew into her lungs was her only link with life and sanity.  
  
She kept as still as she could, not letting panic win over the control she fought to keep on her soul. She knew she couldn't give in to the shadows of her mind, fear, anger, angst-- she was trying but why did it have to hurt so much? Why did she feel so alien in that jarring body? The pain was maddening, she felt she was losing her grip on reality-- she was so cold.  
  
Would nothingness bring her some release?  
  
What if she let go?  
  
What if she simply surrendered to the drowsiness pulsating along the spasms?  
  
The repeated assaults of pain were numbing her will. She knew it, but her force was declining. How long was it going to last?  
  
Suddenly, something interfered within her, an energy buzzing inquisitively inside. An anxiousness she did not recognize as her own dragged her out of her torpor-- but the fever showed no sign of receding. Once more the pain charged viciously and vibrated sourly in her bones. She was too spent to scream.  
  
Noor barely registered the voice in her head that frantically called her back. Kenobi was here yet she could not situate him precisely. As he tried to reach out for her through the link, something reared up in her. She fiercely blocked him out; he wouldn't see her so devastated, ever. She knew she had to protect him from that. As he slowly sank down at the other end of the couch, her bare feet came to rest against his left thigh. He did not pull away: he just sat there, bewildered and powerless to help her fighting back the fever raging within her .  
  
The contact she had with his flesh through the uniform fabric was the only source of heat in her frozen world. She focused on it with all her might, letting it filter through her defenses with the soothing vibration of his voice whispering in her mind.  
  
Little by little, the storm in her body abated, the pain slowly faded before finally retreating completely. An unexpected relief washed over her tightly clenched muscles with the calm certitude that he would help her to bear that load.  
  
And then came silence, not a sound, not an image, not a tremble.  
  
Only an immense peaceful emptiness.  
  
She dimly registered a warm hand on her brow. Losing the track of time, she welcomed the void and slipped into oblivion.  
  
~*~  
  
~~~Blurry spots of colors--  
  
  
  
  
  
I felt myself slide back up to the surface.  
  
I stirred from my dead sleep.  
  
I did not dream, it is strange--I always dream after the fevers.  
  
I see glimpses of the harsh tawny fullness of the dunes in the sun, the abrupt slope in the shadows on the other side  
  
- and the space--  
  
So wide that only the unsubstantial immensity of the wind seems to fill it.  
  
There are also patches of Irish green; an ever-moody grayish sea. In those dreams, I can almost taste the dusty sweetness of my native country raindrops.  
  
Curiously, I can see those colors right now floating above me, the blue, the gray. Or is it more like gold and green?  
  
I dream of dear images of long-gone faces. I remember now that, today, another one had joined them, but for a few more precious minutes, I won't feel the ache crushing my heart--  
  
The release after the pain often brings me close to another world, hidden and secret. It seems that all I have to do is to stretch out my hand to be part of it. I am always so close to them. Yet never close enough.  
  
I see the future sometimes, elusive things that haven't yet come to pass. This time the recurrent visions of spilled blood and violence did not taint my mind.  
  
How long have I been lying down like this? I have no idea, my sight is still troubled and my surroundings unreal. But the two drops of a bright changeable color piercing through the mist of my waking up are comforting. I find their depth attractive.  
  
I am not cold anymore for I am wrapped in a protective warmth. It is strong yet somewhat softened and safe. I try to raise my arm to feel its source but my muscles vehemently protest.  
  
I wince and my vision clears.  
  
I discover that he spots of color are a set of eyes wavering between concern and relief. I smile into them with all the serenity I am harboring now. They are truly beautiful.  
  
My body feels weightless, as it did when I use to plunge under water as a child and let the swell carry me away. All I want is to immerse myself completely in this scented warmth.  
  
I shift slightly and my position is adjusted. I listen to his calm breathing under my cheek and hear myself heaving a small contented sigh.  
  
I bury my face further into the snug heat and drift off again.~~~  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
~~~She had pushed me away.  
  
There I was with all my years of training and experience, me, the Jedi master, standing there like a useless idiot. Can somebody give me a clue as how to handle that infuriatingly stubborn woman?!  
  
But my body knew--  
  
What a surprising, simple thing to see how naturally my arms stretched to gather her carefully, how my shoulder curved to accommodate her still form and give her my warmth.  
  
I felt my eyes widen slightly--  
  
I held my breath, I didn't dare to move anymore, Noor is sleeping against me--and it is--oddly right.  
  
My mind is screaming all kinds of warnings to me.  
  
I have to untangle myself from both this girl and this situation. She belongs to another world. How many times have I repeated it to myself like a mantra over the years?  
  
Once gone, she is back now, all grown up, with that unwavering wild personality, but for the moment she is all fragility nestled in my arms.  
  
Pull yourself together man! Look at her, she is nothing but trouble, she is just as unruly as Anakin. ~~~  
  
He sighed. Why did he always end up with the most rebellious elements among the Order? First Qui-Gon Jinn, then his padawan and finally this Alrahan brat. Dealing with the 'chosen ones' was really not a job.  
  
"What an absurd situation," he murmured, mechanically brushing away a lock of her hair. He watched her tiny exhausted face, she was pale under her tan and her skin was cold.  
  
"Another pathetic life form," he thought, giving a forced mental snort. He pushed away the memory of her silent scream when Gabrielle had been executed, how it had echoed on and on inside of him, immense and inhuman. How she had struggled against him blinded by rage and pain. He attempted to quell the image of her clenched body, her fists gripping the material of the couch to control the shivers. Alone.  
  
He tried but he couldn't.  
  
He had been stern with her, even harsh. The truth was that she reminded him so much of himself when he was younger. The same passion, the same recklessness and defiant attitude. And what had it brought to him? Misery, solitude, rejection. Until his master came along. Watching her was like watching himself doing the same mistakes than in the past. He suddenly felt very poor, his life was devoted unconditionally to the Jedi what did he have left to offer her? Compassion? Discipline? No, Noor was very different from him at the same time, fascinatingly different--  
  
Kenobi fiercely shook off those uncalled thoughts forming in his mind. The Jedi were working for a greater good far beyond their own lives, far beyond the risks it represented and that was all that mattered.  
  
He started to whisper his bare thoughts aloud without logic or eloquence, bending his head towards her.  
  
"So, you have weaknesses after all? You who always seem out of reach. I wonder where you go when you suddenly look to be a thousand miles away from here. You are so determined to stand up against me. When are you going to listen to me, my headstrong padawan?"  
  
He caught a flutter of her eyelids, her eyes opened slowly, unfocused. Her expression grew from confused to dazedly relaxed. She wasn't fully awake.  
  
Two impossibly large gray pools were gazing up at him with a look of contemplative wonder. She gave him a warm sleepy smile which did strange things to his stomach and moved slightly, trying to find her way through his robes closer to his body heat. He couldn't help but smile.  
  
Kenobi tightened his arms around Noor and cautiously guided her head in that strong tender spot in the hollow of his shoulder. He closed his eyes and for the first time, allowed himself to feel what it would be like to be no more than a man, nameless and faceless in a countless crowd. Just be the one who holds a woman in his arms and marvels at the simple joy of it before falling asleep. Her steady breathing against his neck soon lulled him into a short dreamless rest.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
Noor awoke from her heavy slumber for the second time, frowning when she found that the warmth around her was different. Impersonal.  
  
She became vaguely aware that she was being watched. Her eyes came into focus right into Kenobi's. She realized that she was now lying on a cot and that the General, wrapped in his Jedi cloak, was kneeling at her side, his chin resting upon his arms folded in front of him on the mattress.  
  
"What was that?" His voice was coarse from disuse.  
  
His usually golden complexion was ashen, his features were strained and Noor could tell by the dark circles under his eyes that he hadn't gotten much sleep. He hadn't said a word but he was mourning the lives wasted away, just like her.  
  
"I am so sorry--about everything." She finished in a whisper as her voice cracked. Lifting his head, he made a soft denying sound as the back of his hand made contact with her arm sending soothing waves through her. There was nothing to worry about.  
  
Noor looked away, feeling the urge to talk. About anything.  
  
"Those crises started a year ago, when I was traveling from Palestine to Libya. I can't explain what happened, but one day I found myself lying on the floor shivering despite of the desert heat. They come and go without precise cause or pattern. I spent a month in a specialized hospital; nobody could tell what it was. What is sure is that during those crisis I, I see things--"  
  
"Things? What things?" His voice suddenly seemed to come from afar as a succession of bloodcurdling images veiled her gaze. She turned to him, fear creeping through her body. He sensed it. His fingers clasped her arm gently and he whispered her name to calm her down.  
  
"Images from the past and some about the future.I'm not sure they aren't mine, they flash alternatively in my mind and mingle."  
  
"What did you just see?"  
  
"I think I saw how the Weapon will destroy a planet. I feel their pain. Oh, it was so real, it will happen." She squeezed her eyes shut, missing the shadow passing on Kenobi's face.  
  
"Would you trust me with what has been weighing on your mind?"  
  
The young woman opened her eyes and nodded. She watched him rise and move to sit down on the edge of the narrow bed. She inched away to accommodate him.  
  
"Show me."  
  
She lifted her arm to establish a connection, but her trembling muscles failed her. Without a sound, the Jedi lowered her hand and coaxing her to roll on her side, he lay down facing her, mindful of his injury. He adjusted his wide cloak so it covered them both. Although there wasn't any contact between their bodies, his sudden closeness, the scent of his skin, his weigh curving the mattress at her side were a bit overwhelming. She hesitantly reached out, touched her fingertips to his temple and poured her nightmare into him.  
  
Her voice rose unexpectedly in the small cabin, cold, strangely detached.  
  
"There's a hope still. A boy."  
  
'Anakin?' wondered Kenobi.  
  
"No. He hasn't been born yet. You will show him the path."  
  
Her breathing pattern quickened.  
  
"Another battle will be fought after many of them. The moon--There is a weakness in the system! But there will not end the fight against the dark side, the Force is still unbalanced with anger, with revenge--"  
  
Her hand left the side of his head and flew to hers as the pain exploded inside.  
  
She started to whisper incoherently, rocking back and forth.  
  
" Look at me, Noor, open your eyes!"  
  
She heard him faintly through the vibrations of pain, then again the temptation to let go.she thought she heard a whisper, not Kenobi, somebody else--no SOMETHING else. Terror was sending shivers along her form. God, what was that? A strange presence grazed her mind, something she couldn't identify. Her breath became erratic as panic threatened to overcome her. The whispering carried on unhurriedly. She was trapped! Her mouth opened, gasping for air.  
  
Kenobi grabbed her hands and pulled them to her side and replaced them with his own, summoning the Force around him. He had to shake her from her trance. Her skin was turning cold again, her muscles were rock hard. He quashed his rising dread and drew her to him, enclosing her in his good warmth, in the scent of him, anything that could bring her back, anything she needed he would give. Casting aside the pain growing in his side, he kept murmuring to her, almost chanting:  
  
" Stay with me, don't let the shadows speak to you. Come on, my nerve wrecker, open your eyes, let me see those grey eyes of yours."  
  
The Force was flowing from him, encircling her. She gradually relaxed in his tight embrace and finally opened her eyes. She felt the wild beating of his heart against hers, their chests molded together. A pale smile came to her as she thought idly that it was difficult to tell where he started and where she ended. Being so close to Obi-wan Kenobi felt like being melted in his energy, feeling alive, and cared for--  
  
Unwanted tears welled up, burning her eyes. Annoyed but too tired to do anything about it, she let her head drop against Obi-Wan's shoulder and allowed it to flow noiselessly.  
  
Obi-Wan?  
  
Yes, she instinctively knew that at this moment, disheveled and weary with his hand buried in her hair, he was definitely Obi-Wan.  
  
The salted stream had long dried on her cheeks yet she did not stir, soaking in the protective comfort of his arms. The smooth, hard muscles under her hands were real and sure. He moved first, resting his forehead against hers.  
  
"Don't. Do. That. Again." He enunciated the words gruffly. She shook her head obediently and just lay there, sensing herself sinking in his gaze.  
  
She closed her eyes when she felt him nuzzling her cheek. His fingers slowly trailed along her jaw line. She almost gasped when she felt the warm moisture of his lips brushing her chin in a faint caress. Her head unconsciously fell back to grant him more access. She felt his breath tracing her neck, her collarbone. Not touching, just hovering, learning her.  
  
She already knew his warmth but the heat he was creating now was totally different. It was deeper, wilder. Unknown too. No Jedi there. No comfort. No measured talking. Just his hands on her. Just a raw need.  
  
And an unexpected tenderness. For him.  
  
He abruptly wrenched himself from her. A shift of the mattress, he was up and out the room, leaving Noor in a stunned languid haze.  
  
And he had barely touched her--  
  
  
  
***** 


	14. Arrival

Hi there! Here's another chapter, maybe not my best one but certainly one of the longest. Oh well you'll tell me, if it's bad I can change it.  
  
*****  
  
The shuttle slowed down, waking Noor up. She was still wrapped in his cloak, bathing in his scent. She sleepily brought the coarse fabric to her nose. It smelled of wood and rain and something she could not describe that was entirely him. She pushed it away and watched the ceiling for a moment, remembering what had occurred a few hours before, trying to rationalize.  
  
'All right, nothing really happened. We were both exhausted, mentally and physically, we didn't really realize what we were doing, not that we actually *did* anything anyway. He is strong, I needed that I guess... Nothing wrong, nothing meaningful, just a human reflex of preservation. Yes, something quite innocent in fact---'  
  
A little voice in her head scoffed, 'uh, huh, innocent, yeah, right!'  
  
" What's wrong with me? I can't believe I'm rambling as if I were 16 again!" she exclaimed aloud to the empty cabin, "there's no need to be all edgy about going in the cockpit and see him. This is only old Kenobi! He doesn't care in *that* way for me, no---"  
  
No?  
  
'Well, I can't blame him for that,' she thought as she promptly got up and made her way through the ship.  
  
She fumbled nervously with the door opening system, wondering how he would react. She paused at the entrance of the room, gazing down at him from the top of the stairs as he faced her. He was standing straight with his hands in his uniform pants pockets, his head slightly bowed forward, checking their progression on the terminal, looking all fine and gorgeous---  
  
'That was irrelevant.' She mentally kicked herself.  
  
He looked up at that moment, catching her rolling her eyes at her own foolishness.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Alrahan?" he asked distractedly, returning to his data reading.  
  
"No, nothing."  
  
She noted the return to 'Alrahan' and that he was even paler than earlier. Her eyes went automatically to his side. She reached a hand to his clammy forehead to check for any sign of fever, but he smoothly avoided her touch and went to take his seat switching the shuttle to manual piloting.  
  
"Good thing you got up on your own, it saved me from having to come after you. We are approaching Earth," he stated, his voice neutral.  
  
'No, I won't get pissed off or upset, I knew better than that,' she chanted in her head as she plopped down in the co-pilot seat, sulking nonetheless. They remained silent for a while, watching ahead of them.  
  
She started fidgeting in her seat when she heard his breathing become more labored but did not comment.  
  
Finally, exhaling an exasperate sigh to cover her growing concern, she bent forward and switched on the automatic pilot.  
  
"I'm really not impressed, you know. Don't be such a baby, show me that wound."  
  
"I was not trying to impress you, Alrahan. I'm trying to keep us alive," he answered, closing his eyes.  
  
"By letting yourself die? Smooth plan, General."  
  
She raised an eyebrow when she caught the various emotions and sensations he was broadcasting. The energy emanating from him was clearly colored with reluctance, he hated to feel vulnerable almost as much as he probably hated to have to depend on her, but his strength was weakening. He'd had to draw deep in his energy to heal her soul, she realized with a pang of guilt.  
  
This was her fault.  
  
"Come on, hero, my turn to take your shirt off," she said with a forced lightness as she helped him to tuck it out of his pants, starting to open it clumsily.  
  
"That sounds ominous."  
  
Her laughter brought a slight smile on his tense face. She gave up her attempt to undo the uncooperative buttons and just pushed the material up on the left side, discovering with a frown that it was stiff with dry blood. She gazed down and almost gasped.  
  
" Force!" she muttered, fighting the lurch of her stomach at the sight of the ugly gash just beneath his ribcage. It had bled profusely. She hurriedly reached for the rags that were once her officer jacket still wrapped around her arms and cleaned the wound. Noor gently traced the unharmed skin below, assessing the damages. He had been hit sideway, causing the shot to tear his flesh in a long and deep lesion without touching any organ fortunately. She felt him shudder under her fingers. She lifted them, afraid to have caused additional pain and impulsively put both her hands above the injury, closing her eyes as she summoned the Force to her.  
  
Sensing a sudden heat, Kenobi cracked his eyes open and pushed her hands away.  
  
She protested. "I can't leave you like that, I'm not very experienced but I sense that it will make it better."  
  
"It will take too much of your energy. You are not a trained healer, it can be dangerous and I need you to pilot the shuttle."  
  
" Fine, if I don't heal it, then I'll stitch it, your choice."  
  
"There are medical supplies in the cabin."  
  
She shook her head and went to retrieve the med kit. This bloke was really beyond her sometimes. 'No, most of the time,' she corrected automatically.  
  
"All right, Kenobi, breathe."  
  
After disinfecting it, she held the needle near one purplish side of the wound and plunged in quickly, wincing as she heard his sharp intake of air. He made no sound as she worked, even though she knew that the pain must be almost unbearable. She waited patiently until his guards were down and took advantage of a moment when he was catching his breath to put him to sleep.  
  
Once she was done, she checked her handiwork, quite pleased with herself, given the fact that it was her first try, something she had purposefully avoided telling Kenobi.  
  
She put a hand on him and focused on healing him further. A faint bluish glow appeared in the cradle of her palm. A draining wave passed through her body down to her hand as the light grew in intensity and swept gently over the sutured flesh. The Jedi moaned a bit in his sleep. After a few seconds, the angry red color wore off and the swelling went down, the inner tissues were almost back in place. It would probably still be tender but the scar was sound.  
  
Noor prudently stopped when she felt a strange weariness coming over her. Even if the stitches had made her own intervention a simple complementary care, she wasn't trained for this indeed. She walked to the cabin on slightly weakened legs and came back with his cloak. She draped it around him and watched him rest for a moment.  
  
The young woman went then to her seat and gauging the close distance from Earth, took the commands of the craft.  
  
" I didn't know that your planet was so beautiful," Kenobi said later groggily, emerging from his slumber. He was staring ahead, fascinated by the blue and tawny orb. The bluish coat of ozone was making it shine almost ethereally in the darkness of space.  
  
"Yes," she breathed, quite in awe herself at the sight of her home.  
  
He cast her a sidelong glance and exhaled. "Well, I think you ought to know that at least we're heading the right direction." He pointed to the clearly visible Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. " The less good news is that the hit we took caused the reactor to leak. I don't know if we have enough power to reach it."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"And this is all you have to say?" she snapped, her temper rising quickly.  
  
"What did you expect me to say? I was put to sleep before I had time to warn you and healed despite what I've told you. Once again. Calm down now, everything will be fine," he answered coolly.  
  
"Yes, piece of cake!" she grumbled, forcing herself to shut up before she created another riff between them.  
  
Kenobi rose, gripping his seat for balance and walked out of the cockpit.  
  
"Hey! Where are you going?" Noor called after him.  
  
"See if I can't fix the generator. Keep the shuttle as stable as you can."  
  
She managed to maneuver the ship through the different spheres but it was difficult, her senses seemed to be numbed, her reactions were too slow. She started to wish Kenobi was in here piloting. She was unfamiliar with the commands of this type of craft and--  
  
A red warning light began to blink.  
  
::What's this?:: Noor inquired nervously.  
  
::The beginning of our troubles. There's no power left!::  
  
"Oh God, that's really not the moment!" she yelled gauging the tremendous distance between them from the ground and the harrowing speed with which it narrowed.  
  
::Blast! The generator is on fire!:: he cursed. Another light started to blink in front of her, confirming his words.  
  
The shuttle was losing altitude fast. The desert and the sea blended together in the dusk and seemed to lung up at them. Noor, fascinated by the spectacle of their own fall, couldn't bring herself to seize the commands.  
  
:: What are you doing? Alrahan!::  
  
Suddenly the power was back, the altitude was stabilized by a pull of the Force just before they hit the rocky edge shielding the coast line. They avoided the cliff by a few feet.  
  
Kenobi hurried back to his seat and turned his head sharply towards her. " That was close."  
  
She breathed out and glanced at him, still a bit lost.  
  
" Look out!" he shouted.  
  
Using the Force again, he shifted the craft on one side in time to pass through the crack between two huge rocks. The system chose that precise moment to die. The shuttle reeled and dipped down.  
  
"Get down!" he ordered.  
  
The ship crashed, shaking the cockpit hard. It slid for a few meters, raising big amounts of sand before coming to a stop.  
  
Noor did not dare to move nor to open her eyes, the thick black smoke in the confined compartment made her cough. She caught a motion by her side, then she heard a dulled noise and saw the twilight sky over her. The shuttle was lying on its side and she discovered that Kenobi had managed to open the cockpit.  
  
"Are you hurt?" she asked anxiously, finally finding her voice along with her breath while her heart was still threatening to burst out of her chest.  
  
"Brilliant, Alrahan! That was brilliant!" he fumed, hoisting her out from the wreck. "Now hurry up, the craft is on fire."  
  
"Glad to see you are alive. No, I'm not injured either, thank you," she muttered sarcastically as he moved away. She jumped down to the ground, refusing the assistance he didn't offer anyway. They ran quickly, putting as much distance between the burning ship and them as they could but were still thrown to the ground with the force of the explosion.  
  
"I *can't * believe this! Where the hell did you get you pilot license?! Now you see why I told you not to use the Force to heal me--it affects your reactions!" he seethed as she rose, shaking the sand off her tattered clothes. "You could have killed us!"  
  
"I didn't, so save your breath, we have a long walk down to the city. I don't know what happened," she said calmly, much to her own surprise.  
  
"Aren't those enormous pieces of rock big enough for you to see?" he carried on, apparently unmoved by her new found self control.  
  
"Oh, and weren't those blaster shots easy enough to deflect? Everybody knows that battle droids can't bloody shoot straight! Jedi skills, ha! My big toe!" she retorted stormily, sending to hell any thought of diplomatic precautions.  
  
"For Force's sake! Can't you watch your language? I thought that nobility was a guarantee of a certain elegance, Lady Alrahan!"  
  
She turned, her eyes blazing. Long locks had fallen from her loose braid and were blowing in the wind, making her look perfectly uncivilized. " All right, what exactly do you know about ladies? Or women in general, Master Kenobi, Jedi knight?"  
  
Noor watched his face tense up, but he remained silent.  
  
She nodded firmly, " Right. My point exactly."  
  
That was underestimating Kenobi's own stubbornness. "Let me tell you what happened: I was wounded because I was protecting you! We almost crashed because you didn't pay attention to what I had said," he snapped.  
  
"I had just lost my best friend! What was I supposed to do? Letting you bleed to death and lose you too?!" she yelled back, feeling her eyes burn.  
  
They both fell silent and looked away, ashamed of their outburst.  
  
"Damn it," she mumbled, starting to head for the archeologists' camp.  
  
She didn't get very far. She was grabbed by a shoulder and spun around, her arms clasped tightly by his hands.  
  
"Wait." His voice was gentler but determined. "The orders are to find and destroy those plans at all costs. At all costs," he repeated catching her chin in his fingers, forcing her to meet his gaze. "No second thoughts. No matter what. Is that clear?"  
  
She frowned and shook her head fiercely  
  
" Noor-" he sighed wearily.  
  
"Sorry, it doesn't work like that with me," she said resolutely.  
  
"Well, you'll have to force y-"  
  
Kenobi never finished his sentence. She shoved him against the closest rock and grabbing a fistful of his shirt, she yanked him down and silenced him with a firm kiss.  
  
All she was aware of for a few seconds was the familiar warmth of his body, the sensation of her breasts pressed against his hard chest, the alarming softness of his lips sliding smoothly along hers, adding a sudden and delightful pressure there as his arms closed around her, drawing her more intimately agains--.  
  
Wait a minute, he was kissing her back!  
  
She pushed against his chest, stepping away and kept still for a moment, Kenobi's expression mirroring her own as the size of her eyes nearly matched the diameter of the moon.  
  
Did she just---? And did he just---too?  
  
"What was that for?" he asked hoarsely, shoving his hands in his pockets awkwardly.  
  
"What was the kissing back for?" she shot back uneasily, the mere thought that *she* had kissed her former master *this* way was enough to send her mind reeling with shame.  
  
"I asked first."  
  
"To make you shut up. Had I known it was this efficient, I would have tried earlier," she said bluntly.  
  
Before she had time to react, she was the one backed against the rock. Kenobi was looming over her with a disturbing half smile, calmly invading her private space.  
  
"I see no objections to the last part of you sentence, the first part wasn't very nice."  
  
"You know I'm a sarcastic bitch, Kenobi."  
  
"You are." He nodded, smirking at her mock shocked face, "Obi-Wan."  
  
"No, Obi-Wan is *your* name," she said, pocking his chest and smiling broadly.  
  
She was finally relaxing in his closeness---  
  
"Funny, aren't you?" he said with a sardonic grin. "After a kiss like that, I think you can call me by my first name instead of my title, my last name or that lovely nickname of Uptight Freak."  
  
Or not---  
  
"Oh. You knew."  
  
She felt herself blush under his gaze. And he was damn aware of that.  
  
"I did."  
  
His smile faded as he looked at her, gently pushing back the wild curls from her face as his gaze slowly came to rest on her mouth. She felt the urge to babble. And to smack herself for doing so.  
  
" What about you? Was that another 'I don't know what came over me, it was a big mistake, let's forget about it' type of thing? Or did you just assume that I was some kind of tramp---" She was growing very distracted by his head slowly descending towards hers.  
  
Her mind went totally blank when his word brushed against her lips.  
  
"No."  
  
She fought to mumble something, anything to wipe that cocky expression from his face and the growing amusement in his eyes. His lips touched hers tentatively, retreating a little. Her eyes fell shut and she sent her pride and shyness to take a hike, meeting him halfway in a bruising kiss.  
  
'A humiliated man never makes a good lover,' she thought impishly.  
  
Their hands tangled urgently as she pulled him closer, desperately seeking his body with hers. They both laughed in each other's mouth when their teeth clinked in their haste. They let the thirst they have had for the other soften in a slow, enticing caress.  
  
He buried his hands in her hair and tenderly traced the seal of her mouth, waiting for her lips to oblige him, before proceeding unhurriedly to make her lose her mind as their tongues met in a languid battle. Her hands naturally found their way under his shirt and she grazed experimentally the smooth skin she discovered there. She felt him freeze as his breath caught for a split second. Noor smiled against his lips and absently registered that they should probably cool off a bit.  
  
'Yes, in a while---' she mused.  
  
A blinding light made them jump guiltily apart.  
  
Noor put a hand above her eyes. Two Jeeps were coming their way on the narrow path climbing from the shore to the rocky plateau where they had crashed. The cars stopped a few meters away from them and two figures she couldn't quite make out in the dusky light got out, asking in Hebrew if they were all right. When she answered affirmatively in the same language, one of them exclaimed:  
  
"Dr Alrahan!"  
  
A spark of recognition crossed Noor's features. "Dr Lukas!"  
  
She took a few steps in his direction. A short and plump man in his early thirties hurried to take her hand between his and shake it warmly.  
  
"Thank God! You're alive! That's unbelievable! You---You disappeared months ago, everybody was so concerned about you. We even thought that you had been taken away by a militia. We saw the explosion from the dig, we went to see what happened and we find you!"  
  
The joyful relief showing on his good round face and in his babbling were endearing. Turning towards Kenobi, he stuck out his hand. "William D. Lukas, I'm a geo-archeologist from the university of Idaho working on the site of Caesarea."  
  
"Where are my manners?" she said as gracefully as if she was having tea with the baroness ***, earning a discreet smirk from her companion. "This is---" She gazed up at him looking for inspiration as the two men exchanged a handshake. "Ben. Ben Kenobi. Ben is a historian, he will assist me on the dig."  
  
The young man nodded and gave a genial smile to the Jedi before turning back to Noor. His anxiety was plain on his face. "May I ask what happened then, what was the cause of your disappearance? And how did you come back?"  
  
"Oh, well, we fell, from the sky," she stammered, glancing at Kenobi with a tight smile, " Quite literally in fact---"  
  
She was saved by the arrival of a second Jeep on the plateau and drove up by them.  
  
A gruff voice with a thick Southern English accent burst from the window of the car. "Noor Alrahan! You'd better have a good explanation for the freaking five months you had us worried sick!"  
  
A bulky man around thirty-five got out of the Jeep and slammed the door closed. He abruptly engulfed Noor in a bear hug and almost without transition barked a series of questions, pointing successively to the burning wreck and Kenobi who was standing there, an eyebrow raised. "What the hell is going on here? And who's that?"  
  
" 'That' is Ben Kenobi," said the Jedi, adopting the identity Noor had provided and meeting the taller man's glare with his cool one.  
  
"Kenobi? Is it some kind of Japanese name or something?"  
  
Kenobi stared blankly at him.  
  
The young woman eyed them both, trying to hold back a nervous giggle in front of the ludicrous situation. "Calm down, Garrett! There's no need to put on your protective big brother show. He's only a fellow scholar from college. We were in helicopter, and we had a generator problem. We crashed but, as you can see, we're fine."  
  
"He certainly doesn't look like an Oxford graduated," the other man grumbled. Unwilling to create further argument in front of the others, he finally said, "Let's just go back to the camp, it's late." He sent a 'don't you think you're off the hook' glance to Noor.  
  
Garrett had definitely not smoothed his driving style and the bumpy winding road bordering the cliff wasn't helping to reassure the passengers.  
  
"Garrett, I survived a helicopter crash today, I'd appreciate not ending my young and brilliant career in your filthy Jeep!" she said loudly over the roaring engine. He answered by a dismissive gesture which told rather well how much he cared about female ranting in his car.  
  
"So, you are a historian, Mr. Kenobi. In what field, may I ask?" Dr Lukas inquired, turning around to speak to him from the front seat.  
  
"Ancient wars and weaponry," answered the Jedi easily, not so far from the truth.  
  
He had said the right thing: the other man's face lit up. " Oh, of course! You're here to study the new pieces of weaponry that was found a week ago, near the tomb of the Prince!"  
  
"Exactly," approved Kenobi, a bit unsure. Noor, who was wedged between him and the door, exchanged a surprised look with him and nodded to Lukas. Perfect timing.  
  
"How is Maeve?" she asked, leaning forward to address Garrett.  
  
"Ready to chew you out."  
  
"Yes, well, she's still in England."  
  
"No, Dr McGrath is here. You're in for the ride of your life, lass," he stated sympathetically, reaching over his shoulder to pat her hand where it rested on his seat.  
  
Lukas kept on chatting cheerfully, completely oblivious to what was going on around him, talking alternatively to Garrett and Noor who were both obviously brooding. " Oh yes, Dr McGrath will be quite happy with their coming. There's lot of work with the dig-up of the warehouse near the shore. It might take days it's a very big building, they will need strong arms."  
  
Noor snorted, watching Kenobi suppressing a wince, before she groaned as they stopped in front of the camp.  
  
"Oh God, she's going to kill me."  
  
She hopped out of the car and made a bee line for one of the big desert tents, followed by Dr Lukas who retired to his own tent.  
  
Remained alone with Kenobi in the Jeep, Garrett didn't lose time. "Listen, young man, Noor is an adult and leads her life as she wishes so I won't waste my time threatening you like some old wanker. I'll simply say that if you hurt her, you'll regret it," he warned quietly.  
  
"Knowing Noor, sir, she will be the one hurting me," Kenobi answered with a slight smile which was slowly echoed on Garrett's face.  
  
"The Alrahan women are quite a handful, aren't they?"  
  
Both the man shared a 'tell me about it' look."  
  
"I am here to protect her. You needn't worry. About me at least," the Jedi said more seriously.  
  
Garrett peered at him. "You're one of them, aren't you?" He raised his hand in a appeasing gesture when Kenobi shot him a sharp glance. "I was with Maeve when she learned about Noor and her father. I swore to remain silent about this, calm down. I won't add a word about this, but you have my trust."  
  
Kenobi assessed him for a moment and sensing no treachery in him, nodded slightly before opting for a subject change. "Is this Maeve that bad?  
  
"Oh yes, Maeve McGrath is the only person in the world Noor actively fears, not obeys, but fears. Rightfully so, I must say, she's a very good woman but no one would want to make her angry."  
  
"Does that mean that Noor pays a minimum of attention to what she says? Is she human?" inquired Kenobi lifting an amused eyebrow.  
  
The other man chuckled. " It's her sister."  
  
"That makes her fearful indeed."  
  
"I'm Garrett McGrath by the way, the eldest fury's husband. I'm working with Stephen Breitstein and Eduard Reinhardt on the underwater excavations of King Herod's artificial harbor."  
  
" I could have guessed that, you * look* like an archeologist," said the Jedi, smiling as he pointedly eyed McGrath's rugged looks and scruffy outfit.  
  
McGrath laughed good-humouredly at that. His retort was cut off by a feminine call from a tent nearby. " Ah, Maeve is summoning us in. Time to go in the arena."  
  
Kenobi was surprised to see a petite attractive woman holding the flap of a tent open for them. Her features were delicate, her eyebrows arched beautifully above two large nocturne eyes matching her thick dark hair. She looked like an older and neatly dressed version of Noor in darker shades. A strong sense of determination and authority emanated from her.  
  
Garrett laughed quietly as he passed by him, "Don't be fooled by her sweet looks."  
  
'I know better than that,' thought Kenobi remembering her sister.  
  
Inside, Noor was walking back and forth on the thick dark red woolen carpets laid on the floor. Her jaw was set in a way he knew well, she was very upset about something.  
  
"The Foundation replaced me!" she explained with a deep frown.  
  
"It was to be expected, Noor. After five months they couldn't let the search of the houses coming to a standstill because you were missing. Dr Stabler and Dr Stanley needed a new leading archeologist, this Sir Minevan just showed up at the right time, that's all," offered Maeve, trying to appease her sister.  
  
"Minevan? I've never heard his name mentioned anywhere, how comes he got *my* job then?"  
  
"I have no idea, dear, but if the committee and the University of Haifa appointed him, it means that he has good qualifications."  
  
"All I see right now is that I'll have to give him reports and explain all my actions in the site. He won't let me wander around without asking questions."  
  
Kenobi spoke up. "Calm down, Noor, let's meet the man before drawing hasty conclusions."  
  
"I'll go get him," Garrett volunteered and exited.  
  
"I trust that your husband and you knew about our coming here, Doctor McGrath," he said turning towards Maeve who nodded.  
  
"I knew it would happen one day, anyway. The Council contacted us after Noor's disappearance. When people here thought it was an action of the local militia and various other speculations, we didn't correct them. Now that she is back with you, we will have to figure out something else. Let me tell you bluntly, Master Kenobi, that I disapprove of Noor's implication in this matter, I never hid my opinion to the Council." She snapped up a hand firmly to silence her sister's protestation. "However, you can count on our help and complete discretion."  
  
A smile flickered in Kenobi's gaze as he nodded his assent and his gratitude. He had always appreciated spirited personalities.  
  
The tent parted, revealing Garrett followed by a tall man in his forties with a pale gaunt face. The two Jedi glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes.  
  
:: Weird,:: sent Noor.  
  
Kenobi lightly shook his head, signifying to her not to talk through the connection and shield her mind as Sir Minevan was greeted by Maeve.  
  
He turned towards Noor and his metallic blue eyes warmed up amiably. His demeanor was the one of a refined and agreeable cultured man, belying his stern features and bony figure. "Finally I meet the young Dr Alrahan. Last time I saw you, you were a baby, Lady Noor. You mustn't recall me but I worked with your father on the hippodrome's excavation."  
  
"What I don't remember, sir, is having seen your name in the reports. You mustn't be very famous in the archeological circle," Noor said pointedly.  
  
The gentleman laughed quietly. He did not seem to take offense of the young woman's sharp answer and dismissed gently Maeve's calling to order. "I see that I'm addressing a genuine Alrahan, there's no fooling you, young lady," he answered, " I was a mere student in his second year back then, this is the reason why my name did not appear in the publications. After my studies, I changed my orientation although I kept practicing on a voluntary basis. So, you are right, I am not very famous in this circle but I do my best to be competent."  
  
He went to take a chair after being introduced to Kenobi. "I heard you were kidnapped by the militia, Lady Noor. It must have been quite--- picturesque," he inquired with an amused smile brushing his thin lips. The visual was indeed rather laughable. "Were you part of the hostages too, Mr. Kenobi?"  
  
" In a way, yes," intervened Garrett from behind Minevan, with a sly grin on his unshaven face, "Those two simply eloped. Couldn't wait, just decided to get married without even telling us."  
  
Minevan turned to face Garrett, missing Kenobi and Noor dropping their heads and rolling their eyes and his wife fighting back a laughter.  
  
"How romantic," the older man stated with a touch of friendly mockery.  
  
"Isn't it?" answered Noor under her breath, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
The archeologist took his leave after a short while, soon followed by Kenobi and Noor who was to show him his sleeping quarters.  
  
"My brother-in-law must be some clandestine spy genius, what a brilliant cover he gave us," she said, shaking her head as they strolled in the settlement.  
  
"Well, it's true that it was a rather awkward." Kenobi started diplomatically  
  
She burst out laughing, and he laughed quietly, "All right, it was the lousiest excuse I've ever heard, but at least, it will enable us to sneak out to discuss our business and go to the tomb together without raising suspicions."  
  
"Did you feel something when Minevan entered?" "No, nothing."  
  
"I know, it's strange, usually I'm usually able to sense people's aura, but there was nothing there."  
  
" Some people are able to shield it from us, that's why I asked you not to use the link in front of him. We need to keep an eye on him, anyway."  
  
She nodded and stopped in front of one of the big tents. "Here's home. You'll share with Garrett. He insisted that I should sleep "safely" with my sister at least for tonight. You have a wild night ahead of you, Kenobi, he snores like a bantha."  
  
"Don't be so cheery, after what Garrett told Minevan, the sleeping arrangements might be changed," he retorted roguishly.  
  
They went on planning the various things they would have to do the day after, deciding that she would come up with an excuse to go inspect the tomb while he would assist Maeve on the warehouse excavation near the shore.  
  
Without warning, Noor declared: "You know, I hate forward women, I think it's vulgar and pathetic."  
  
"And your point is?" asked Kenobi, lifting an eyebrow.  
  
"Will you invite me for a last drink?" she blurted out, trying to sound flippant.  
  
He chuckled and drew her to him, letting her snuggle up in his arms as he kissed her brow. "No, I won't."  
  
"Do you spoil people's fun as a personal entertainment or is it part of the Jedi master conditioning?" she asked, resting her forehead against his chin, sensing him smile in her hair. " Garrett would skin me."  
  
"You definitively have a point here."  
  
He sobered up and lifted her face up. "We can't let this happen again while we are here, Noor. The mission is our priority until we go back to Coruscant and sort this out properly. Do I have your agreement here?"  
  
" I guess so. Let's remain focused and professional," she sighed, stepping back.  
  
"That's the idea, yes."  
  
He bent down to put what was meant to be a chaste goodnight kiss on her cheek, but as soon as their skin touched, all his good resolutions vanished. He impulsively grabbed her waist to pull her closer and took her mouth with a tender urgency.  
  
He suddenly broke the kiss as he felt her matching his hunger and moved back.  
  
"I think you should go now," he said a bit breathlessly, quickly adverting his eyes when he caught sight of her face tilted back, offered, gazing at him from under her long eyelashes as amazed and dazzled as he was. A faint blush was coloring her cheeks, her lips were swollen with his kiss---  
  
He almost gave in the temptation but kept a safe distance between them, barely allowing himself to tuck her hair behind her ear.  
  
He watched her walk away until she disappeared in the camp. He glanced at the dark sky dusted with stars as if looking for an answer and retreated in his tent. 


	15. The Mourners' Enigma

Nothing!  
  
Noor plopped down in a chair under the shade of the wide black canvas open- sided tent beneath which the different teams took their meals. She leaned heavily on the table in front of her and exhaled, overcome by the midday heat and her frustration. Everybody was starting to gather for lunch, rushing immediately towards the water distributors. The day would be long.  
  
Kenobi walked along the shore up to the shelter, smiling warmly to the different teams when they greeted him and made his way through the crowd to the secluded table she had chosen. He immediately caught the far off expression on her face. " You managed to get in touch with Gabrielle's family at last, didn't you?"  
  
Noor only nodded, unwilling to discuss it.  
  
She spoke up almost reluctantly after a moment, "I don't even know where is her body."  
  
She was grateful when he simply drew the back of his finger along her cheek without commenting. When it came to that, he always knew what to do and when to remain quiet. She watched him put a plate and a glass of water in front of her, pushing it toward her in a silent invitation.  
  
"There's nothing in this damn tomb!" she finally said with a weary voice. "I've examined it inch by inch, retranslated and interpreted the paintings on the walls myself, compared it with the previous works of other archeologists, all of this for three weeks. No results. Maybe it's not here after all, maybe---I don't know, I'm running out of ideas."  
  
"It has remained undiscovered for three millenniums. I should think that the Jedi had hidden it so it would keep you busy for at least three weeks," he asserted, eying her closely, concerned that this search was draining her. "Don't lose patience."  
  
"You talk like an archeologist but it's is not a usual search here. We don't know how much time we have before potentially half the galaxy hunt us down, get the plans and blow up the world. This tiny detail suddenly adds a lot of pressure!"  
  
He shushed her, casting a glance around them and answered calmly. "I'm taking care of that part, yours is to find what we are looking for and fretting won't help you to do it more quickly."  
  
As she pursed her lips, unconvinced, he stretched his sore back, earning a good ogling from the female searchers. 'Handsome Ben', as they called him, combining manners, beautiful smile, clear eyes and a very interesting body had kept them rather busy for the last couple of weeks. Noor raised an eyebrow at them and they all promptly looked away. Kenobi noticed it and smiled to himself, shaking his head lightly.  
  
"I've never suspected that archeology could be so painful," he sighed, wincing as he sat down across from Noor who looked at him derisively.  
  
"Consider it a just payback for the saber training."  
  
"Thank you for your sympathy. A considerate wife would have offered to rub my shoulders," he retorted.  
  
She observed him for a short moment as he gave her a crooked smile, something he had done a lot more lately. He had let the distant Master persona slip, blending easily in the exuberant 'family' of searchers, all bound by the same passion to give a new life to the Roman city. Noor nodded knowingly to herself. Caesarea had that effect on people.  
  
"Well, I guess I can't blame you for trying." She was smiling by now, bringing a warm glint in the Jedi's clear eyes. Some people passed by them, covering the 'young couple' with half ironic, half knowing glances. The story of their elopement had, of course, spread like wildfire around the camp.  
  
He lowered his voice and bent over the table towards her. "I was wondering, what excuse did you find to make Minevan allow you to work in the tomb?"  
  
"I said that there was some connection between the wall paintings of the recently cleared up buildings and the tomb's."  
  
"Is there?" Kenobi asked with curiosity.  
  
"Not really, there are some similar details, but nothing striking. The tomb is much more ancient and was sealed. What about you? Aren't you quite done with that the storage room dig up by now?"  
  
"Well, apparently, we uncovered the foundations of another older building beneath the warehouse this morning, that's why it took so long," he answered, watching Noor vigorously attacking the food.  
  
She lifted her head after a moment and saw him staring at her, both his eyebrows raised in an amused wonder. "What?" she asked gruffly.  
  
"Nothing, it's a real pleasure to treat you lunch." He gave a sardonic grin before adding pensively, "wolfing down enough food for two people in a record time, without even bothering to breathe between two bites takes quite a talent."  
  
She watched him blankly, looking perfectly immune to his sense of humor, before returning to her plate.  
  
"Don't hurt yourself though," he commented as she prepared to engulf another impressive serving of stew.  
  
"Three months of field rations, Kenobi, that's all I have to say."  
  
"Ah, yes. Well, the result is quite fascinating. Do you do anything else with the same appetite?" he inquired with a smirk, carrying the bantering on.  
  
She stopped chewing and stared at him. He looked a bit puzzled by her reaction before his eyes widened slightly and a touch of red brushed the big bad General's cheeks.  
  
" I, I mean."  
  
"That was graceful, Kenobi, really," she uttered deadpan, taking her time for the sheer pleasure of seeing him shift slightly on his chair.  
  
There was an awkward pause.  
  
Noor started to laugh. To her greatest surprise, he joined in. Not a mere chuckle or a derisive snigger, but a warm, unguarded laughter. It was the first time she heard it and it brought another smile on her face, she liked that deep rich sound. A lot.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
It was too hot under that tent. Her eyes went off focus, beyond the documents she had studied a hundred times, not minding the constant buzz of the flies above her head anymore.  
  
Maeve closed the book that lay abandoned in front of her sister. It was late in the afternoon and the sunbeams seeping through the opening were painting a part of Noor's face in a tawny glow, leaving the other side in the shadow.  
  
"I think it's enough for today," the older woman stated, trying to dispel the sudden discomfort that washed over her as she observed her sister.  
  
Noor rose and walked up to the entrance, pushing the rough fabric apart to watch outside. A flow of crude blue sea and glowing cloudless sky irrupted, almost blinding. From afar, the pillars of Herod's temple were starting to take the coppery shade of the end of the day.  
  
"It has to be somewhere," she said to no one in particular.  
  
"How long has it been since you've slept?"  
  
She didn't answer.  
  
Maeve shook her head. She went to stand beside her and lightly rubbed her arm, "this strange gift Nature gave you, it's burning you up, Noor."  
  
The younger woman stared in her sister's dark gaze. Something tightened in her as she read what the black depths seemed to whisper. She pushed the flap further, slipping outside in the direction of the shore. She welcomed the moist warmth of the wind wrapping her as she strolled bare foot in the cooling sand.  
  
A hand clasped her arm, making her jump. She smacked Kenobi square in the chest which left him rather unaffected.  
  
"Don't do that! It's plain creepy!"  
  
He grasped her wrist and pulled her after him as he strode towards the warehouse without leaving her time to rant any further. "I thought you heard me, come, we might have found something."  
  
A group of searchers was forming around the excavation of the last building they had found. Getting through the crowd, Kenobi drew her in front of him and pointed to the different levels of walls they had uncovered.  
  
"See? Under what has been a storage room from the Roman era was a more ancient edifice. Probably a house. The part we found today was certainly the religious room dedicated to the gods and the ancestors."  
  
"My congratulations, professor," she said, amused by the scholar inflections and the excitement of the Jedi.  
  
"Pay attention to the figures on the painting, young philistine."  
  
" That's a very serious abuse around here, you know," she shot back, squinting her eyes to make out the walls' reddish painted adornments at the bottom of the pit.  
  
Kenobi leaned down and whispered in her ear discreetly. "Look better, to the left."  
  
He felt her froze as she spotted a veiled form among the elaborated elements of decoration.  
  
:: The Mourner,:: she gasped.  
  
:: Don't you recognize it ? I saw her in Caesarea.::  
  
:: In that kind of visions, the link doesn't let me see through your eyes. I felt what you felt, but I didn't see anything.::  
  
:: Well, she was one of the statues.::  
  
:: She's one of the allegories? Then if she is--Let's try to reach the tomb unnoticed, there's something I must show you.::  
  
She slowly backed up and saw Minevan heading their way. Kenobi looked over to where Garrett and Maeve were standing, darting his eyes towards the approaching man. They nodded in return and called after the archeologist, engaging him in a discussion about the fresco.  
  
The two Jedi disappeared in the crowd. They walked along the aqueduct to stay out of sight and left the shore toward the cliff.  
  
"Hold on." She went into in the dark cavity and activated the generator. Kenobi entered in a now lit up room made in the rock.  
  
Faded paintings covered the walls, it represented with a remarkable sense of detail and realism various scenes of war or hunting. It even portrayed an elusive moment of a family intimacy. On another panel spread a wide city.  
  
"We are in the first antechamber. The mural retraces the main events of prince Abd-Ashtart's life and the construction of Caesarea as it was before the Roman Empire," explained Noor. She pointed out and named briefly the main figures standing out in the various scenes.  
  
Kenobi was listening attentively, obviously taken with the story. It was not his culture or even his planet, but he had the giddy impression that he would just have to reach out to the colored wall to touch time itself. The very air here was thick with hushed echoes of human presence.  
  
Noor smiled up to him, "We might not be useful in times of war or peace, but you seem to find us interesting after all."  
  
The Jedi recognized once more how Noor always seemed to have a perfect sense of timing when it came to throw your own words in your face. 'Highly feminine trait,' he reckoned and he smiled back to her, remembering their stormy meeting in front of the Council. So many things had changed since that time, he thought, looking at her as she moved to a darker corner.  
  
"Here are the details of the huge challenge that was the building of the ramparts, an-"  
  
"Noor! Look up there!" he interrupted her, crossing the room in a few long strides. Beside the city was represented a woman pointing alternatively to her heart and her brow.  
  
"The first allegory! Balance," he said.  
  
"Come along!" She rushed towards the long and narrow stairway at the other end of the antechamber leading down to another room.  
  
"Second antechamber. Here is the first Mourner, do you recognize it?" she asked, indicating the wall on the left.  
  
"Yes!" he said as soon as he saw the veiled silhouette with a set of sharp eyes. "It's the allegory of Truth."  
  
"Oh boy! At last! There's exactly the same one painted on one of Herod's temple's pillars!" she cried out excitedly as she hurtled down another series of steps.  
  
Kenobi followed her into a dimly lit room of smaller proportions. In the middle stood a massive marble tomb carved with fine patterns. Noor turned to the left without hesitation.  
  
"Here it is! Mystery," he exclaimed.  
  
The same entirely veiled form he had seen in his vision and in the building outside was painted on the wall in front of them. Noor fumbled in her pocket and pulled out her father's journal. She leafed through it and beamed as she handed it to Kenobi. It was a sketch of the allegory.  
  
"It was found in the underwater excavation when the diving team was exposing the base of one of the Herodian towers outside of the harbor's channel!"  
  
She turned toward him. " Now I understand the real meaning of my father's comment about the tomb. He wrote that this place worked like a riddle and that the solution was inside. I didn't realize that he didn't imply some paintings or an object in the tomb, but a person!"  
  
"The solution is always inside oneself," Kenobi said, quoting an old Jedi line of wisdom.  
  
Noor rolled her eyes and grinned, "We should have known, this bears the blatant Order's trademark. I have to admit that it's quite ingenious though. You are the answer."  
  
"This is the nicest thing you've said to me in a long time, Alrahan."  
  
"I don't intent to make it a habit, Kenobi."  
  
"I've never fooled myself about it, your ladyship," he replied with a sarcastic wink.  
  
She grabbed his hand, timidly lacing her fingers with his and gave a light squeeze. He looked down at her, a bit surprised, but a pleased smile floated in his eyes. She almost snickered victoriously: using tenderness was definitely the best way to make him shut up and do what she wanted. However, when she felt his thumb drawing small circles on the back of her hand as he returned his attention to the mural, all she was able to do for a long minute was to stand there, staring ahead of her, not seeing nor hearing anything and just fighting the urge to lean against him.  
  
She cleared her throat, cursing alternatively her overactive hormones and the Code. "This is very nice, but what are we supposed to do now?"  
  
" You're the specialist. You answer that question"  
  
"Well, we just pointed out that *you* were the answer."  
  
"All right," he started thoughtfully, "one allegory is missing, isn't there another room?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, we looked for secret passages and rooms but this tribe was far less twisted than the Ancient Egyptians."  
  
He remained silent for a moment. "There's something strange about the disposition of the allegories---it reminds me something. Wait for me here," he suddenly said, letting go of her hand and climbing the stairs.  
  
After a while, she joined him in the first antechamber where he was examining the first allegory.  
  
His face suddenly lit up.  
  
"Yes?" she asked expectantly but he simply walked passed her, retracing their steps down to the last room. She rolled her eyes and followed.  
  
"That's it," he whispered to himself.  
  
Noor waved in front of his eyes " Hey! Would you care to share with the 'not chosen' one?"  
  
"The way we took to go down here is exactly the same that I took in the vision."  
  
She frowned, "How so?"  
  
"The first allegory was placed on the panel by the stairs, making us cross the antechamber, then in the next two rooms the allegories were situated on the left. I had to cross a street and turn left twice as well when walking in Caesarea, the statues were in a courtyard behind a door on the left."  
  
"So?" she said, prompting him to develop his reasoning.  
  
"I don't know yet."  
  
He watched Lord Alrahan's sketch once more and frowned. "Your father wrote about riddles. Do you remember the sentences carved below the statues you translated for me? What did the first one say already?"  
  
" 'Trust your instincts--something will always follow,'" she answered hesitantly.  
  
"Reason will always follow," he completed.  
  
"What does it mean?"  
  
"I think that Caesarea was giving us clues to find the plans, let's take the advice and follow our instinct then. Second allegory, Truth. 'You wouldn't seek me if you hadn't already found me.' "  
  
" This probably implies that the solution is right under our nose," said Noor.  
  
Kenobi nodded, "Knowing the Council, it wouldn't surprise me. What was the sentence for Mystery?"  
  
"Umm. Invisible and present, I stand behind the veil."  
  
They glanced at each other and simultaneously turned their heads towards the painted figure.  
  
"I don't think they meant the cloth she's wearing," he stated  
  
"I agree. And if the truth is right under our nose--"  
  
"And present behind a veil--" he added.  
  
They both rushed towards the mural.  
  
"I don't understand, all the walls were sounded without results and there's no joints indicating a hidden room," she mused as she inspected the layer of plaster isolating the paintings from the stone.  
  
" The riddle says, 'present but invisible,' Noor. If there's a hidden passage behind this, the Jedi must have used a special seal to make the opening undetectable. The paintings added later would have finished to conceal it completely."  
  
" What if it's not a room? Would it be hidden behind the plaster layer? Will we have to destroy the painting?" she questioned, horrified.  
  
"I know nothing more than you do. We will see."  
  
"Wrong, Kenobi, you *always* know more than you say. Not again!" she ranted as the lights went out. "It's been years since we've begged the Foundation to change that blasted generator, how are we supposed to work in theses conditions?"  
  
The young woman started to make her way blindly towards the stairs but the Jedi caught her and pushed her against the wall. "Wow there, sir knight! I thought we were to remain serious till the end of- -"  
  
He shushed her. " Listen."  
  
Footsteps were nearing the room.  
  
A moment after, a beam of light scanned the room and spotted them. "Ah, here you are! It seems that the generator gave up on you," Dr Minevan's voice burst in the darkness, making Noor start and wince as her elbow slammed into the wall behind her.  
  
"Yes, I wanted Ben to see the fresco of the tomb. He hadn't found time to come and see it since our arrival," she responded, rubbing her sore elbow.  
  
"I see. Well, I was looking for you to ask you if you wouldn't mind to replace me in the team for a few days. I leave tomorrow for London with Professor Reinhardt, Dr McGrath and Dr Lukas. I will give a report to the Foundation on my way to the conference on Caesarea."  
  
"Oh, right, the launch of the exhibition on Eastern Antiquity at the British Museum. Is Garrett attending the conference too?"  
  
"Yes, he'll talk about the last discoveries of the underwater excavation. So, is it settled?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
"Perfect. Don't forget to put the canvas sheets over the newly uncovered areas, it's most likely to rain tomorrow," he advised. "I'll restart the generator on my way out."  
  
" Thank you. We won't be long."  
  
Minevan nodded and bade them goodbye.  
  
"So, do you still find him strange?" asked Kenobi once the light went back. "The fact that I can't feel his aura makes me feel nervous. He seems so-- cold under that amiability. But he wasn't actively bad. What do you think?"  
  
"I don't trust anybody."  
  
"You and your lovely personality--- Oh, God!" she suddenly exclaimed before going through a string of colorful curse Kenobi himself, though well traveled, had never heard of. He followed her eyes above his right shoulder and saw a small breach on the plaster near the allegory.  
  
"I did this!" she gasped, walking to the wall to examine the damage, "when Minevan started me."  
  
He came up behind her and observed the small impact from over her shoulder. As he moved, he caught a faint spark there and suddenly he laughed, wrapped her in his arms and leaned forwards to press a quick peck on the back of her neck, "My little Noor, you're the clumsy genius of the pair."  
  
She stared up at him, confused by his spontaneous demonstration of affection. " Okay, who are you?"  
  
With her still gathered in his arms, he reached out one hand to scratch the breach with his nail a little further.  
  
"Wait", he said when she pushed his hand, appalled, "Do you see that?"  
  
Beneath the damaged plaster appeared what looked like a line of shiny metal.  
  
"A joint?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"I'm good!" she said excitedly. "Now, how can we open this without ruining completely the mural?"  
  
"We can't do anything without destroying a part of it, but we can keep it minimal," he stated, releasing her.  
  
She turned to watch him reach under his long shirt and retrieved his light saber. "You really can't live without it?"  
  
"Where is yours?" he inquired. Noor smiled and pulled the bottom of her shirt up, revealing her saber fastened to her waist.  
  
"Good. You'll cut along the line down and I'll do the top."  
  
Kenobi tuned down the power of the two beams of energy before they started to work on the metallic sealing. Slowly the outline of a narrow opening appeared in the middle of the fresco. The Jedi switched his saber off and studied the metal from closer, nodding. "Only a light saber has enough power and precision to cut through that type of alloy. Any other instrument would have melt the surface without opening the seal. It was obviously designed for a Jedi to unlock it."  
  
'Or whoever carries a light saber,' thought Noor, not daring to say that aloud. The Sith who killed Master Jinn was certainly not the only member of his order. Could they be after the plans too?  
  
Kenobi moved carefully to lean against the left side of the opening, motioning her to imitate him. They both gave a tentative push. The gate didn't move.  
  
"That's bloody heavy!" the young woman groaned after a few unsuccessful attempts.  
  
"Once again, Noor, this time use the Force."  
  
They gathered the energy around them to give a powerful push. It sent a tremble in the metallic structure before setting it in motion with a loud jarring sound which made them grit their teeth. The gate's resistance unexpectedly gave way and they both fell on the other side in a big cloud of dust. Noor quickly motioned to Kenobi to put his hand in front of his nose before an acrid exhalation of musty air came out from the ancient room.  
  
They waited until the dirt settled down to study their surroundings. The room was completely empty! A vague feeling of failure washed over Noor.  
  
"Is it what we were looking for?" queried Kenobi with a tense voice.  
  
"According to the architecture and the inscriptions on the wall, it could be. But there's not sign of those plans," she answered grimly, she got closer to the walls. "I don't have my pocket light!" she cursed.  
  
Kenobi approached and switched on his blade, holding it above her, near the wall so she could see.  
  
"Who ever called those sabers archaic? I wonder. See? The painting is completely different. You couldn't find this type of pigment in the region at that time and the technique is completely unusual." She scratched lightly the wall and observed the way the powder of plaster fell down. " It's very ancient. This type of coating was used centuries ago. It's probably anterior to the tomb."  
  
" Really? Aren't you going to carbon 14 this to have a precise estimation?" asked Kenobi, obviously proud of his extended knowledge in archeology.  
  
"No sir, we can only date organic elements with carbon 14, not minerals. I thought they taught you Chemistry and Physics back at the Temple," she said with a crooked grin.  
  
He shot her a look which approximately enjoined her to fuck off.  
  
"Drop the approximately part," he commented aloud. She reveled triumphantly in the fact that she had such a bad influence on him as she began to decipher a portion of the writing.  
  
Their usual bantering had dismissed a bit the tension without erasing completely the rising doubts. What if they were wrong? What if the plans weren't there after all?  
  
Suddenly she exclaimed: "I can't bloody believe it! It's the same inscriptions than in the second antechamber and the tomb adorned with more paintings! We can't have faced death and lost people just for this!"  
  
She gave a circular glimpse around her and spotted a dark area on the left wall. Noor activated her saber and went to look at it. "Isn't it the last allegory you saw in the courtyard?" she asked, showing the tall figure to Kenobi who came to stand beside her.  
  
"Yes, it's Consolation."  
  
"Consolation as in ' noooope, thanks for playing with us'? Is it some kind of Jedi joke here?" she uttered impatiently, sensing the long day she had mixed with her disappointment catch up with her.  
  
Kenobi gave her a look before they felt a presence drawing near and rushed out from the room to face an utterly baffled and dismayed Dr Lukas. His ruddy complexion had paled in front of the disastrous sight of the neatly cut piece of mural and his two colleagues smeared with dust standing uneasily in front of him.  
  
" What have you done?" he stuttered in shock.  
  
"Please calm down, we can explain," Kenobi began with his deep soothing voice.  
  
The archeologist reached a hand to examine the irreparable damage caused to the wall. "You pierced a hole in a three thousand year-old fresco, I damn hope that you have an explanation!" he retorted sharply  
  
"We found a secret room, William, no need to bite our heads off for it," Noor shot back crankily.  
  
"Why did you decide to simply attack the painting without referring to us? We might have found a less drastic solution!"  
  
Then, he narrowed his eyes at them. "How did you find it anyway? This tomb has been searched with the most modern instruments without results and you two simply stroll around here, stumble upon an undetectable gate and manage to open what seems to be a nearly impregnable metallic seal with---with what by the way? What's this?" He indicated the hilts the two Jedi held.  
  
"I'm not sure you want to know about it," said Noor, growing uneasy as the situation was clearly getting out of hand.  
  
Kenobi sighed and launched into an explanation. " We found this room because we already knew about it, more or less. We are on a mission here to get back something that was hidden in the tomb several millenniums ago. We didn't call you because it has to remain strictly confidential."  
  
Poor Dr Lukas was gawking at them, " how so? What were you looking for here?"  
  
"The plans of a weapon. We are here to destroy them. If anybody else should discover them, it would trigger off a disaster beyond your imagination," Kenobi went on.  
  
"Secret plans of a weapon in an archeological site? What have I stumbled upon here? A remake of James Bond? What the hell do you take me for?!"  
  
"It's true though. I know it's difficult to imagine but do you think that I would willingly destroy any part of Caesarea while my whole family and I have devoted our lives to restore and protect it? You have known me long enough to see that we are not lying," said Noor convincingly.  
  
Lukas appeared to ponder this and rubbed his eyes, still puzzled. "Honestly I don't know what to think about your story. Anyway, it's up to the Foundation and the senior staff to decide."  
  
"No!" exclaimed the two Jedi.  
  
"We can't prevent you from warning the staff and the Foundation, but for the protection of Caesarea, this *must* remain between us until we find the documents, Dr Lukas. We promise we won't take any decisions without you," Kenobi intervened, glancing at Noor to get her approval, "Do you agree?"  
  
"I don't know. I need to think about it. Please, let's leave this place. It's late and we should all get some rest. I'll see that nobody enters this area and meet you here in the morning," he answered, his natural kindness showing through his perplexity.  
  
The knights nodded a bit reluctantly, knowing that they wouldn't obtain more that night and made their way to the exit. They crossed the settlement in silence until Dr Lukas went into his sleeping quarters.  
  
"It's becoming perilous," said Noor once they were out of earshot.  
  
"Yes, but I have a good hope that he won't betray us."  
  
"Based on what ground? The most logic thing to do would be to tell the senior staff indeed."  
  
The Jedi master gave a small sly grin, "Come on, Noor, don't play coy with me. You noticed it."  
  
"Noticed what?" she inquired, stopping where the lane forked.  
  
"He's been looking at you with starry eyes, following you like a shadow ever since you came back to Caesarea."  
  
" Your scheming is shocking, Kenobi," she stated wide-eyed but amused nonetheless.  
  
"It's called strategy. I'm a diplomat and a general, I'm trained to use any asset I have."  
  
She snorted, " Yes, with me in the part of the bait." She heaved a dramatic sigh, " And so crumbles my ideal of unconditional Jedi integrity."  
  
"I'm conscious that it's not a type of method you're familiar with," he said with a smirk, clearly implying that he was aware of the fact she was shamelessly using it on him. She rolled her eyes and headed toward her tent.  
  
  
  
***** 


	16. That night

WARNING: All right, this scene might be rated R for adult situation. Although it's not too graphic if you're bothered by this kind of stuff, please skip it and go directly to the next chapter when it will be up, thanks!  
  
*****  
  
Noor glanced at her watch and grumbled furiously to herself as she strode aimlessly on the shore. It was way past midnight, she literally ached for a nice bed to finally get some rest but here she was, homeless, walking towards the high shadow of the Roman theater. She was an adult, but still, stumbling on--- an intimate moment between her sister and her husband was making her nauseous. She picked up the pace before any visual could form in her mind. Sometimes she loathed being empathic.  
  
She suddenly realized that Kenobi and her had forgotten to plan what they would do about the tomb in the morning.  
  
'That will pass away the time until those two cool off,' she thought, heading back toward the camp. As she neared his tent, she saw the glimmer of the oil lamp filter through the slits of the canvas, indicating that he wasn't asleep yet. She called but as nothing responded, she got in. The main room separated from the sleeping area by a suspended veil was empty. She surveyed the sparse pieces of furniture.  
  
Even absent, something of him was still lingering there. On the table lay a disarray of papers, a data pad, some colored stones he had found during the excavation and a sketchpad. Intrigued, she reached for it and discovered, surprised, this new side of him. She had never known he could draw so well. She browsed through the different sketches. Soon her eyes were full of the pure lines of the sea stretching away to finally fade in the horizon, the imposing verticality of the ruins contrasting with the shadows of the corners which seemed to whisper some ancient secret mingled with the portraits of the people he had met here. She was truly impressed by his ability to capture something beyond the simple resemblance. Something furtive---a flicker of life, a soul--  
  
She chuckled knowingly when she found a picture of her with her unruly hair flowing from her ruined braid as the wind blew behind her, a fierce expression etched on her face. 'I'm glad he sees me as a harpy,' she smiled ironically to cover the fleeting thought that her representation, born under his fingers, looked beautiful. She closed the pad and put it back where she had found it.  
  
Her eyes fell on the blue shirt he had worn during the day draped over the back of a chair. Noor buried her face in the wrinkled fabric and inhaled deeply. As she did so, something dropped from the breast pocket. Noor crouched down to pick it up.  
  
It was a thin plaited lock of hair.  
  
"That's my shirt you have here, woman."  
  
The deep voice made her start guiltily. "You spent way too much time with Garrett," she grumbled, referring to his language.  
  
She looked up and her mouth went dry. Kenobi was standing at the entrance of the tent, bare to the waist, a towel in his hand, observing her intently. The waving flame of the lamp cast specks of gold in his damp tawny hair, enhancing the warm honey tones of his skin darken by the sun. Her eyes followed the fine lines of his well-defined muscles, noted the golden hair dusting his upper chest and trailed down to the tight flat stomach.  
  
He walked to the chair to put down the towel. She had not expected the harmonious fall of his shoulders, the long line of his back smooth like a stone. If he noticed her insistent gaze, he gave no sign of it. He turned towards her, still crouched down at his feet.  
  
"I think I like seeing you from that point of view," he said with a half smile, just to annoy her.  
  
'Likewise, baby,' she thought half ironic, half sincere as she rose promptly.  
  
"I'm sorry, I was--kicked out from my tent. Maeve and Garrett, well--you see."  
  
He nodded, "I do."  
  
Not finding anything to say, she just stood there, ill at ease, fumbling with his shirt.  
  
"I was there," he suddenly said.  
  
She blinked, "What?"  
  
He pointed to the plait in her hand, "During your trials, I was there."  
  
" You mean, it's my padawan braid? But I would have sensed your presence," she countered.  
  
He remained impassive. "Apparently not."  
  
"You came back on purpose? Why?"  
  
He shrugged. "It was your trials, it was important. My master didn't get to see me passing mine and I, well. I wanted to be there for yours."  
  
He busied himself putting some order in the scattered papers. He didn't like to bare his thoughts like that.  
  
A slow smile crept on her lips. Now, that was getting interesting. Could she possibly miss such an opportunity to tease him? Certainly not.  
  
She attacked mercilessly: "Why was it in your shirt?"  
  
"Why were you nosing in my things?" he shot back without turning around.  
  
"I asked first."  
  
"I don't know, it was in my utility belt. Now, what are you doing here?"  
  
"You're eluding the question! Come on, Kenobi I'm the voice of your conscience!"  
  
"The Force preserve me!" he mumbled, the light taunt returning in his voice. " Be careful, Noor, one of those pathetic sentimental moments is looming over us."  
  
"Oh, twist my arm!" she exclaimed dramatically.  
  
Suddenly he turned around and crossed the distance between them. He took the shirt from her hands and tossed it on the floor. Startled, she watched his eyes traveling on her face, memorizing every plane, every shade. Finally their breath mingled, slowly, as if it were the very first time. His long fingers came to frame her face, keeping her mouth firmly fastened to his and he opened up all his being to her, letting the emotions he had locked up inside flow into her mind. She reared up breaking the kiss. She was pale when she looked up at him.  
  
"Obi-Wan--"  
  
He blinked at the mention of his name and lowered his gaze to the ground. "I've never planned on this, believe me. You caught me off guards." He glanced at her. "Is that so repulsive to you?"  
  
The biting derision of his tone did not quite conceal the hurt look in his eyes.  
  
She lifted her hand to his face, cradling his cheek in her palm. "Would you willingly break the Code? Would you betray what you have pledged your life to every day to have me?" Noor asked calmly.  
  
"This is my problem, Noor, not yours," he stated firmly.  
  
"I already know the answer, my love. You're just being stubborn now, but soon, you'll see me as your weakness," she answered gravely.  
  
He held her with his gaze, shaking his head with a peaceful certitude. "You're exasperating, obstinate and you never listen to what I say, but I know how I feel." His light smile faded, " I choose to take the chance. The question is: will you take it with me?"  
  
He fiercely gathered her back against him, clutching her as though he was trying to imprint her in his flesh, to leave no place for doubts between them and kissed her almost desperately, overcoming her with his caress as he started to unbutton her shirt. Under his lips, Noor had closed her eyes, she had accepted long ago.  
  
She weaved her own to kisses to his, tasting the night's coolness on the skin of his neck. His hands mapped her bust hungrily, sliding up to her shoulders to push her shirt off, letting it fall noiselessly on the ground. They both hummed their approval when their bare skin met at last.  
  
He went to undo her hair with slightly trembling hands. She smiled and helped him. Soon her heavy locks tumbled down lazily, hanging low on her back. He combed his fingers reverently through the fiery gloss of the dark mass, discovering its weigh, crumpling its soft texture. "It's quite fortunate you kept that fiendish mane out of my sight," he whispered, lying a languid kiss at the junction of her jaw and her neck. " I think I would have lost my sleep." Her pulse grew heavier against his lips. She shuddered.  
  
Obi-Wan's touch was so mesmerizing that it was a while before she started her own exploration. Her hands wandered on the hard planes of his chest followed by her lips running lightly on his face, his eyelids, his jaw, his collarbone--savoring every patch of skin. Her fingers studied the length of his back down to the narrow hips, learning his power and his tenderness. His breathing deepened. His palms mirrored her touch, curving at the small of her back, he traced the beginning of her hips above her pants before going back up on her front, brushing her breasts through the fabric of her bra. It was slow, it was maddening. A searing wave coursed through her body, setting her loins ablaze. She arched against him, unconsciously pushing her hips against his, breathless with the need of him.  
  
He reached around her to unclasp her bra, suddenly craving to remove all the barriers between them. He made quick work of her pants and underwear. She stood in front of him bare and quite self-conscious. Flushing, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and buried her head against his shoulder. He whispered his love and reassuring words in her ear, patiently convincing her to relax and trust him. He took a breath of the fragrance of her hair before he gently pulled her away from him and eased her arms down. He slowly followed the dangerous path trailing between her breasts, his gaze leaving a scorching trace on her skin. She saw the blue shadows of desire shifting in his eyes. She heard a whisper rising from her lips.  
  
"Please--"  
  
Without a word, he lifted her up in his arms and walked to the other side of the veil. There, in his bed, he set about driving her wild, with his hands, his lips, his whole smooth body, drawing surprised sighs and moans from her until the cool night wind carried away their first gasp.  
  
  
  
  
  
**** 


	17. The price you pay

She drifted between sleep and consciousness feeling a pang in her. It wasn't a regret nor a threat but more like the echo of a longing, a very ancient calling finding its way within her mind at last. She couldn't tell exactly, it was hers and alien at the same time. It mingled in a confused way with the joy of smelling his scent on her skin, the giddy, hardly believable reality of his warm body resting here by her side. She felt as if her chest was expanding to welcome those new sensations.  
  
She rolled over, automatically reaching for him. He was lying on his side, wide awake, following her every move with keen eyes. They both lay there for a minute, observing each other without saying a word. A slow smile crept on their lips.  
  
"Don't you ever sleep?" she whispered, following the harsh curve of his cheekbone with the pulp of her fingers.  
  
"Not much," he answered.  
  
She reached for the blanket but his hand prevented her from doing so. His ran his palm down her side and softly curved the back of his hand to trace the cradle of her hip.  
  
"Don't worry about that." He nimbly pushed her hair from her eyes, smoothing them idly. "Go back to sleep, it's not the morning yet. I'll watch over you."  
  
Noor yielded and settled against his warmth, leaning her forehead against his as he draped strong arms around her. There would be time to think about it later.  
  
  
  
-- A few hours later.--  
  
  
  
The sun wasn't up yet; a strong breeze was rippling the sea. The waves were tinged with the same steely shade than the clouded sky. Minevan was right, the rain was near. Unconcerned, they both savored the freshness of the morning, making their way up to the tomb.  
  
Lukas was nowhere in sight.  
  
Kenobi was slightly nervous under his cool exterior. " Revealing the purpose of our mission here to reassure him was one thing but trusting him to keep the tomb is another."  
  
"We didn't have any other option. He would have called the Foundation right away if we hadn't let him have it his way. Somehow, I'm not sure we want to explain to a committee of aging scholars that we are Jedi knights coming from a planet called Coruscant to prevent a intergalactic genocide."  
  
He shrugged and shook his head, still not fully convinced.  
  
"Let's go inside to inspect the room, I don't think he will say anything if we just have a look until he comes," offered Noor.  
  
Two hours later, the Jedi were sitting on the floor of the small hidden room, Noor retranscribing the inscriptions to translate them while Kenobi made a copy of the paintings and various elements of decoration. Sometimes she would stop her fastidious work just to watch him immersed in his contemplation, his hand quickly sketching the mural and his sharp eyes going back and forth between the sheet of paper and the wall. What reverence he put in the outline of the painted knight--  
  
After a few minutes of companionable silence, Noor declared: " this is quite strange, the inscriptions here are the same than in the tomb only put in a different order. The different sequences are mixed up."  
  
"Does the text make sense? Does it give any indication?" asked Kenobi, peering her notes from over her shoulder.  
  
"Yes, it makes sense, it seems to tell a story, but it's not the Prince's one." She stood up to fumble in her pocket and sighed. "I forgot my father's journal back in the tent, it must have dropped at some point." Obi- Wan smiled lightly to that and took the notepad she was handing to him.  
  
" See if you can make head or tail of my translation. I'll be right back." With that she was out of the room.  
  
  
  
On the way back to the cliffs, a lightening split the clouds and a loud rumble echoed from afar. A few drops started to fall and suddenly it was as if the sky had been torn, pouring huge amounts of water. Blinded and already soaked after a few seconds, Noor ran to the closest tree, a venerable fig tree with a thick foliage. She stood there a moment, inhaling the fresh scent rising from the earth and the sweet smell of the ripe figs above her head. She made out a silhouette through the screen of the rain and waved at Yentl. The young woman rushed towards the shelter, and grinned at Noor, brushing her dripping black hair back.  
  
"I haven't seen that in a long time!" exclaimed the expert diver from the university of Haifa in a slightly accented English. The two women chatted for a while, waiting for the storm to abate.  
  
The wind changed of direction and brought a strange smell mingled with the rain's one. It was subtle, slightly sweet and metallic. It was somewhat familiar, but Noor couldn't remember exactly what it was. A bead of moisture landed on her forehead.  
  
"Damn! The rain is piercing through the leaves!" she groaned. Another thick drop crashed on the arm, making her mechanically look up in the foliage, vaguely annoyed.  
  
Yentl, realizing that her companion had fallen silent, turned towards her. She started to inquire about her researches when she spotted a dark stain spreading on the other archeologist's sleeve.  
  
"Noor," she said, her voice suddenly nervous. "Are you hurt?"  
  
The young woman lowered her head to face Yentl, pale as death itself, her eyes widened in shock as a bead of blood trailed down on her forehead.  
  
"It's not mine," she breathed.  
  
The two women hesitantly looked up and saw William Lukas' contorted face, his dead gaze staring back at them from a few bows above. Thick dark blood was leaking slowly from the soaked cloth wrapped around his neck and was falling drop by drop on the floor. Another sticky droplet landed between the petrified women. Noor snapped out of her horrified stupor, she gripped Yentl's trembling arm, tugging her toward the meal shelter, where she left her to explain what happened to the others and darted towards the tomb under the pouring rain.  
  
Kenobi was already waiting for her at the entrance, concern creasing his brow. "I sensed pain through the link, what happened? What's that blood? Are you injured?" He managed to keep his voice more or less even, seeing her panicked expression.  
  
"No. Not me." She wiped nervously the blood trickling on her forehead. " William. They killed him, he was dead, in the fig tree---his blood falling on us," she stammered hurriedly, sorrow thickening her voice.  
  
He framed her face with his hands, trying to appease her but she pushed him away forcefully, tears of rage filling her eyes.  
  
"This went too far! First Gabrielle, now William! And maybe this whole plan mess explains why my father and my brother suddenly killed themselves in a helicopter crash in the desert? How many more will have to die when we are supposed to protect them?"  
  
"A lot more if we don't stop this now. We do this for a greater good Noor, whatever it costs."  
  
" Were you so rational when you held your dying Master? Were you so certain about the rightness of it all when that blade slashed him and took his life away?"  
  
Kenobi's eyes widened slightly under the impact of her words but he clenched his jaw and countered: "What are we supposed to do Noor? Stop the mission now and let them get the plans? They would have died for nothing."  
  
He drew a long calming breath. It would be over soon. "I found them, Noor."  
  
She blinked, trying to pull herself together. "What?" she croaked. "You found them like that? In the matter of half an hour?"  
  
He nodded. " Thanks to your translation. The fresco in the small room is an old code used by the Order to communicate information in times of war. It's very complex and few Jedi can actually grasp it since it's not used anymore."  
  
"How do you know about it then?" she inquired.  
  
"My Master and his wayward lessons about all the hidden aspects of diplomacy. It drove the Council positively insane." He smirked absently.  
  
"Where are they?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"All around us actually," he replied with a sweeping gesture toward the series of antechambers. "The secret room was the last key, not the place where the plans were hidden. The solution was right under our nose."  
  
"The paintings," she breathed, surveying the coded murals around her. " You don't mean to destroy everything, do you?"  
  
"No other choice, dearest, no other choice," he said, taking a moment to tuck her hair behind her ear in his usual discreet way to show his affection before walking toward the exit.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
The team of searchers were already in London, preparing the opening speech of the exhibition and what McGrath had thought to be a routine call from his sister-in-law turned out to be really concerning.  
  
"Do they know who did that?" he asked. He meant to remain calm and not to let his anxiety show. But Noor sensed his deep sadness for his colleague and his worry for his family.  
  
"No, the Police have been nosing around since this morning without results yet. Can you tell Dr Minevan what happened? I don't have time to give him a call. We're really busy here."  
  
"Minevan?" Garrett repeated hesitantly.  
  
"Well yes, you know, the lanky chap with a Roman king's first name who has been working with you for the past 6 months. He is now with you in London to report to the Committee, you haven't forgotten yet, have you?" she asked with a slight smile.  
  
"What are you talking about? Sir Tarkin isn't here. Lukas was the one supposed to report before joining us to the British Museum."  
  
Noor frowned. She saw him leave for the airport with the other archeologists when Kenobi and her were on their way to meet William.  
  
"He told us he was coming with you, Garrett. What was he doing in your Jeep this morning if he wasn't going to London?"  
  
"We just gave him a lift to Tel-Aviv to collect the analysis of the mineral samplings, he will be back tonight."  
  
Noor made a quick reckoning and shut her eyes. According to the police, William had been killed a few hours before dawn. Just before the team left. The tomb was under his care. Minevan had let them lead him to the plans and then he got rid of Lukas before he could warn anybody. Where have they been during this time? She let go of the phone and dropped her head as a sob escaped her.  
  
"Noor? Noor! Are you alright?"  
  
"He didn't plan on coming back: his tent is empty," she answered slowly, rubbing her eyes. "The great lord Tarkin really had us there. He was after the plans too, hence his sudden affectation here, his ability to shield his mind from us and William's death."  
  
Garrett went mute with shock.  
  
" We didn't see anything," she concluded hoarsely.  
  
" How could we? He was appointed by the Committee and his conduct was above suspicion until last night. Don't beat yourself over his death, lassie, you couldn't risk having the Foundation and the rest of the team here learning this," he affirmed.  
  
" No, we couldn't," she murmured. "Kenobi found the plans early this morning."  
  
Garrett paused for a moment. " It means that you are leaving for good this time, doesn't it?"  
  
She drew a big breath, " I don't know yet, Garrett. A shuttle will bring us back to Coruscant tonight. You must know that destroying the plans implies destroying the tomb too."  
  
"Do it, there's not time left," Garrett stated urgently.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
In the middle of the night, two shadows wrapped in large brown cloaks, slipped noiselessly out of the camp and crept to the tomb for the last time. They unpacked their equipment without exchanging a word, they both knew exactly what they had to do. Noor went to place the explosives in each room with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She surveyed the paintings she had known all her life, reverently brushing her fingers over them before returning to the generator on which Kenobi was busy fixing the detonator. The explosion would pass for the result of a failure of the electric system without leaving any trace. He made the last adjustments, checked the installation and herded her quickly outside.  
  
A deep tremor and a blazing flash of light blew away the precious excavation and the Alrahans' binding to Earth in a big tumbling of rocks. From the distance, Noor watched the entrance collapse, lifting a thick cloud of dust. An unusual silence fell then, not a murmur troubling the night, not a rustle of the wind playing in the trees' foliage, even the ever going sound of the waves nearby seemed hushed.  
  
She turned towards him. "What will the Jedi have me do with my life now?"  
  
"After going back to report to the Council, I guess that you could resume your duty in the Army or become a master and teach the ways of the Force to a padawan."  
  
She winced. " You'll definitely have to come up with something more appealing than that if you what to talk me into going back in that huge, overcrowded, polluted urban hell that's Coruscant. Besides I already teach here, what would be the difference?"  
  
His eyes shifted briefly to the ground, settling back on her somewhat hesitantly.  
  
"Me-"  
  
A mute question was suspended behind his word as he stood there, suddenly unsure.  
  
This couldn't be the same Obi-Wan Kenobi she knew, she thought amused but moved deep down.  
  
"Is that appealing enough?" he asked with a touch of smug irony, snatching away the humble side she had just discovered before she could even savor it.  
  
She lifted an eyebrow, smiling wryly. " Let me see, I would give up my promising career and my family for an impossible smart ass who pretends I have no effect on him whatsoever just for the pervert pleasure to drive me insane. That's hardly convincing."  
  
He shrugged, "You're free to go."  
  
She rolled her eyes at his matter-of-fact way to dodge a battle of wits.  
  
He tugged on the oversized sleeve of her Jedi cloak, bringing her to him. " But then will I have to come after you. As you wisely noted, I'm quite stubborn," he finished quietly, giving her his patented wolfish grin. Something in his eyes left no doubt on the matter.  
  
Obi-Wan wasn't overly demonstrative. Nor was she. There was no need, she knew for sure what lay tacitly beneath the cover of sarcasm and the stern Jedi composure now. It was all she needed.  
  
"I think I'll take that chance with you."  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
--Two days later.--  
  
As soon as the shuttle had landed on Coruscant, the two knights had been summoned in the Council's circular chamber. The Twelve had congratulated them and listened gravely when Master Kenobi expressed his deep concern about Tarkin Minevan.  
  
"Given the size of the mural, he can't have duplicated the whole formula. The information he gathered isn't accurate which give us time before they break the code and have a chance to build anything."  
  
Noor remained silent all through the audience. The mission was far from being over but it didn't have any importance anymore. Her part ended there and she didn't want to hear from the plans or Minevan ever again.  
  
Before they walked past the huge wooden doors, Master Yoda stopped her. "Know about your loss, we do. Our sympathy and care, you have."  
  
" We managed to bring the body of knight Baron back to the Temple. She received the funerals she disserved, the Order is still mourning her," added Master Gallia.  
  
Not knowing what to do or how to react, Noor just crossed her arms on her chest and bowed deeply to the Council before exiting.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan walked her wordlessly to her quarters, looking down on the floor, lost in thoughts. The expression on his face was very grave when they stopped in front of the door. "We have some matter to sort out."  
  
Noor groaned and smiled, "For the next ten hours or so I'm dead to the world. The only two words my brain recognizes now are shower and sleep. Can we talk about it later?"  
  
"Are you going to leave me without answers for the next 10 hours or so?!" he said as his face fell.  
  
She immediately threw her arms around his neck, urging his forehead to rest against hers as she drew him near.  
  
"Listen to me, Obi-Wan," she whispered.  
  
Then she poured everything she felt for him from deep within into their link. The impatience, the longing, the tenderness, the ache. He closed his eyes as the rush of emotions ran through him. He knew now how she felt touching his skin, how she would always give in to one of his smiles and how it bothered her to no end, how she had come to adore anything that was him.  
  
"No matter what happens, promise me that you'll keep listening to that. It's the only truth about us. Do you promise?"  
  
He nodded slowly, his eyes sinking into hers. Then he took a few steps back and gave her a small hopeful smile.  
  
"I'll come for you in a few hours," he said.  
  
She watched him go and keyed in her room's entry code. She made her way through the narrow hallway and stopped cold. Master Windu immediately stood up from the chair in front of her desk to greet her.  
  
"Noor, I wanted to congratulate you in person--" he began. His dark gaze expressed pride and affection and--something sadder.  
  
His sentence remained unfinished. They both lowered their eyes to the floor.  
  
The door closed behind them with a quiet hiss.  
  
  
  
***** 


	18. Pieces of us

Hey, this is the end of the story, thanks so much to the people who reviewed! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think.  
  
  
  
******  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan strode in the direction of Noor's quarters a few hours early. He had awoken feeling her absence in his arms. He knew better than to intrude on her sacrosanct sleep but if he paced for another hour in his room, he would definitely go crazy. Steeling himself for the heartfelt telling off he was going to go through, he composed the code and walked in the dark room.  
  
Even before his eyes were accustomed to the obscurity, he knew. He had known all along that he would sense that taste of dust in his mouth, that imprecise ache in his chest which would never completely go.  
  
He had known all along that he would find her room empty that day.  
  
He mechanically activated the shade command with the Force and grabbed the notepad she had left on the desk as a neutral light flowed through the window. He tore off the page where ran the stretched lines and curls of her elegant handwriting and the pain inside grew.  
  
  
  
KEEP LISTENNING.  
  
  
  
Two words.  
  
He lowered the note and absently let go of it.  
  
Gone.  
  
"Noor," he pleaded aloud in the deserted room.  
  
The paper fluttered noiselessly to the ground.  
  
He closed his eyes and clenched his empty hands.  
  
"Noor."  
  
-And slowly, he found the way back to Caesarea.  
  
  
  
***** 


	19. Epilogue

Abigail turned the last page, feeling as if a vice had griped her heart tightly. She remained for a while staring into emptiness, a hand on the leaflet, unable to shake that dull weight on her chest. Her eyes caught the faint gleam of the metallic cylinder in front of her. She ran a respectful finger on the light saber's cool surface. So many memories--  
  
"She ceased to live that day, you know."  
  
The frail black clad figure of Ada stood near the door. Abigail froze and straightened in her chair guiltily. The elderly woman waved her discomfort away. "The manuscript and the saber were intended for you."  
  
"Do you mean that she actually died of this?" inquired Abigail hesitantly.  
  
"Oh no," said the old maid with a mirthless laughter. "No one dies of grief, lass. She lived quite a long time afterwards, until time turned her into an old lady. Just as he grew an old man."  
  
"Is he still alive? Did he ever see her again before--"  
  
Ada lowered her eyes and shook her head.  
  
"They died alone then," the young woman said slowly.  
  
"And that's it? She went through all of this just to disappear without a trace?" she exclaimed then somewhat indignantly. "What did her master tell her?"  
  
The older woman tilted her head. " Nothing. He only gave her the copy of the Code the Council was sending to her. It was their answer, she knew then that she had to go."  
  
Abigail arched her eyebrows. "How could she? She loved him, didn't she?"  
  
"Because he would have defied them and broken his oath for her. She couldn't stay without betraying what he was in some way," she answered. " It happened long ago, what is left unsaid in this leaflet is theirs. I know nothing more."  
  
"What did she do after that?" Abigail asked after a short silence.  
  
"She returned to Caesarea."  
  
' L'Orient désert,' the young woman thought with a touch of bitterness.*  
  
Ada gazed distractedly the polished hard floor for a moment before stepping back. A thousand questions ran in Abigail's head but she remained quiet. Instead, she watched the maid stop on the threshold and turn lightly.  
  
"You have her eyes." She smiled and walked away.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
Abigail went to her car parked under the vault of the chestnut trees alley, feeling curiously more acutely aware of her surroundings. More alive. Quite strange when her weekend had evolved around a corpse, she mused flippantly.  
  
Just before she got in her car, an unknown warm wind, coming from nowhere, grazed her face. On an impulse she couldn't quite explain, she turned around without hesitation to look up at the open window on the first floor. The wind made the ivy shudder and played with the shutters as it swirled gently in the room where Lady Noor lay.  
  
Abigail smiled. He came for her.  
  
  
  
Fin.  
  
  
  
  
  
*Translation: 'The Eastern desert', quote from "Berenice," referring to the queen's exile at the end of the play. 


End file.
